Ogun maintains Awujale succession interim council
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
The Ogun State government has reconstituted the Awujale Interim Administrative Council, despite traditional chiefs in Ijebu-Ode announcing its dissolution. The authorities say the council remains the only legally authorised body to administer Ijebuland before the next Awujale is installed, according to Vanguard.
The Nigerian Ogun State government has reconstituted the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC), tasked with managing the affairs of Ijebuland pending the appointment and coronation of a new Awujale, according to a statement on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, reported by Vanguard. The executive says the AIAC remains the only legally recognised body for this task.
The decision came after traditional chiefs in Ijebu-Ode announced the council’s dissolution and its replacement with the Adele Oba Awujale in Council. The government argues that this group has no recognition in the Awujale chieftaincy declaration or in the state’s 2021 law on Obas and chiefs. Ganiyu Hamzat also said that the withdrawal of some AIAC members did not invalidate the council. The government specified that Chief Chris Okunowo and the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, Alhaji Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, had distanced themselves from the reported collective withdrawal.
The dispute is part of the Awujale succession process, with the appointment expected before May 2027, according to Governor Dapo Abiodun on 28 October. On 30 October, the Ijebu forum accused the governor of interfering in the succession.
