Awujale: Ijebu elders demand clarity on appointment of interregnum council chairman

The Ogun State Government has been asked to explain the appointment of Chief Rasheed Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, as chairman of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council amid claims that the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, had previously suspended him over alleged misconduct.

The Ijebu Progressive Elders Forum (IPEF) said the reported disciplinary history of Adesanya raised questions about his suitability to lead the body responsible for overseeing the affairs of Ijebuland pending the selection and coronation of a new Awujale.

In a statement signed by its National President, High Chief Adebanjo Adeboluro, the group urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to clarify whether the late monarch’s disciplinary action against Adesanya had been formally reviewed and reversed before the appointment.

“Just when many believed that the controversies surrounding the Awujale succession were beginning to subside, Governor Dapo Abiodun has reignited the debate with the reconstitution of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council,” Adeboluro said.

He argued that the reported suspension and reinstatement of Adesanya should have been considered before he was appointed to head the council.

“If the circumstances surrounding his suspension and subsequent reinstatement are as reported, the Governor’s decision to place him at the head of such an important administrative structure raises questions that deserve answers,” he said.

The elders’ forum also questioned reports that Adesanya’s outstanding salary arrears had been paid, saying the development had increased the need for transparency over his return to a key position in the traditional administrative structure.

Adeboluro said decisions concerning the vacant Awujale stool should promote transparency, protect the dignity of the traditional institution and sustain public confidence in the succession process.

He warned that the appointment could raise wider concerns about the authority of a reigning monarch and the status of disciplinary decisions involving traditional chiefs in Ijebuland.

The controversy follows the Ogun State Government’s recent reconstitution of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council, originally established in August 2025, amid reports that some members had withdrawn from the body.

The state government, through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, maintained that the withdrawal of some members did not invalidate the council.

It said the reconstituted body remained the only legally recognised authority responsible for overseeing the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland pending the appointment and coronation of a new Awujale.