The battle over who will lead the family responsible for producing the next Awujale of Ijebuland has intensified, with four leaders of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House dragging 12 family members before the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode and demanding ₦1 billion in damages over their disputed removal from office.

The lawsuit comes amid competing leadership claims within the ruling house, with another group publicly presenting Otunba Olukayode Otufale as its new family head on Sunday, September 20, 2026, and calling for a fresh process to select the next Awujale.

The court action, marked HCJ/167/2026 and dated September 16, was instituted by Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, who identifies himself as the ruling house's chairman and Olori-Ebi; his deputy, Otunba Dokun Ajidagba; Vice Chairman, Professor Fassy Yusuf; and Secretary, Pastor Jeremiah Salami.

The four leaders are challenging what they describe as an unlawful attempt to remove them from their positions following allegations of financial inducement and irregularities in the selection process for the next Awujale.

According to details of the suit made public on Sunday, the claimants are asking the court to recognise their leadership, nullify their purported removal and restrain the defendants from presenting themselves as authorised leaders or representatives of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.

They are also seeking ₦1 billion in general damages over alleged injury to their reputations, standing and positions within the family.

The ₦1 billion is compensation being sought by the claimants, not money awarded by the court.

The dispute centres on the leadership structure adopted by the ruling house in November 2025, when three separate family units were reportedly brought together following a meeting convened by the Ogun State Government.

The claimants maintain that a resolution reached on November 7, 2025, established the leadership structure headed by Owoyemi, with Ajidagba, Yusuf and Salami occupying their respective offices.

They argue that the arrangement gave them the authority to coordinate the nomination of candidates for the vacant Awujale stool and communicate with the kingmakers responsible for the selection process.

However, disagreements subsequently emerged within the family over the handling of the exercise.

According to the claimants, a group of family members established a fact-finding committee in June 2026 to investigate allegations of financial inducement against the existing leadership.

The claimants challenge the committee's authority and maintain that a meeting held on August 9, during which their removal was reportedly announced, did not constitute a valid decision of the ruling house.

They also allege that the opposing group wrote to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Ijebu-Ode Local Government Chairman and the Awujale kingmakers on August 11, informing them that the existing leadership had been removed.

Another letter, reportedly dated September 2, announced the appointment of Otufale as the new unified family head and directed that official correspondence concerning the ruling house should be addressed to him.

The claimants are now asking the court to declare those actions invalid and affirm that they remain the recognised leaders of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.

But the opposing group has publicly defended the change in leadership.

At a gathering in Ijebu-Ode on Sunday, September 20, family representatives presented Otufale as the new Olori-Ebi and called for a fresh selection process for the next Awujale.

Speaking at the gathering, Otunba Kehinde Alebiosun said the leadership change followed concerns over the handling of the earlier selection exercise, including alleged procedural irregularities and inadequate consultation.

Otufale also questioned the management of funds allegedly collected from aspirants during the previous selection process, calling for greater transparency over the amount received and how the money was handled.

He maintained that his emergence followed the procedures of the ruling house and pledged to promote fairness and unity in the selection of the next traditional ruler.

The allegations concerning financial inducement, procedural irregularities and the validity of the competing leadership arrangements remain disputed.

The central question is now who has the lawful authority to represent the Fusengbuwa Ruling House in the ongoing Awujale selection process.

The disagreement comes at a time when the family is already involved in separate legal proceedings concerning the stalled appointment of a successor to the late Oba Sikiru Adetona.

The former Awujale died in July 2025 at the age of 91 after spending 65 years on the throne.

The Fusengbuwa Ruling House is next in line to produce the traditional ruler under the rotational arrangement governing the Awujale stool.

However, the Ogun State Government suspended the selection process in January 2026, citing petitions and concerns relating to the exercise.

The decision prompted an earlier lawsuit, HCJ/149/2026, filed by the Owoyemi-led group against Governor Abiodun, the Awujale kingmakers and other government officials.

In that case, the claimants are seeking orders concerning the suspended selection process and its completion.

A vacation judge of the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode, Justice A.A. Omoniyi, subsequently directed that the case be returned to the administrative judge for reassignment.

The matter was adjourned to Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

The latest lawsuit against the 12 family members introduces a separate legal dispute over who is entitled to act on behalf of the ruling house while the broader succession process remains unresolved.

Although the competing groups have presented different accounts of the family leadership and the previous nomination exercise, no final judicial determination resolving the latest dispute was established in the reports reviewed.

For Ijebuland, the immediate issue is no longer limited to which candidate will occupy the vacant Awujale stool.

The ruling house must also contend with competing claims over who is authorised to lead the family and represent it before the government and the kingmakers as the selection process continues.