The Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, his deputy and vice chairman, Otunba Dokun Ajidagba and Prof. Fassy Yusuf, and the Secretary, Pastor Jeremiah Salami, have filed a suit against 12 other members of the family at the Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode. The claimants are challenging allegations of financial inducement and manipulation in the selection process for the new Awujale of Ijebuland.
According to the claimants, the leadership of the ruling house, led by Owoyemi, a former National President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, had been handling the nomination of the next Awujale from the family. The leadership subsequently forwarded the list of nominated candidates to the Awujale Kingmakers, led by the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland, Chief Olorogun Dr. Sunny Kuku.
The claimants alleged that a breakaway unit of the family, including eight of the defendants, formed an illegal fact-finding committee to investigate allegations of unfounded and baseless financial inducement against the leadership of the ruling house. The breakaway unit announced the submission of its fact-finding committee report and purportedly removed Owoyemi, Ajidagba, and Yusuf as leaders of the family at a meeting held on August 9.
The defendants were alleged to have written a letter dated August 11, 2026, to Governor Dapo Abiodun; the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat; the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu; the kingmakers; and others, notifying them of the purported removal of the ruling house leadership and urging them not to deal with the claimants on behalf of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.
The claimants are asking the court to award N1 billion in damages against the 12 defendants for allegedly making unfounded allegations of financial inducement and other infractions against them. They are also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from parading themselves as the leaders or representatives of the royal house.
The court has been urged to grant several reliefs, including a declaration that the claimants remain validly in their respective offices and that the purported removal of the claimants from office is unconstitutional, unlawful, null, void, and of no effect. The claimants also want the court to declare that the purported appointment of Otunba Olukayode Otufale as the “Single Unified Olori-Ebi” of the ruling house is unlawful, null, void, and of no effect.
The suit, marked HCJ/167/2026, was dated September 16, 2026, and made available to journalists on Sunday. The defendants include Pa Olusegun Olusoga, Ridwan Oduneye, Muyiwa Adeleye, Alhaji Taiwo Ajumo, Sikiru Adegunwa Oluwole, Hon. Kehinde Lawal, Lukman Logunleko Oludare, Prince Abdul Onalaja, Ashiru Mufutau, Prince (Barr.) Osiyemi Johnson, Prince Adeleke Adeyemi, and Otunba Olukayode Otufale.
Key points
- The four leaders of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House are challenging their alleged removal from office and seeking N1 billion in damages.
- The claimants are seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from parading themselves as the leaders or representatives of the royal house.
- The suit is seeking several reliefs, including a declaration that the claimants remain validly in their respective offices.
