The Ogun State Government has threatened legal action against individuals and groups it accused of sponsoring media attacks and spreading disinformation over the succession process for the vacant Awujale stool of Ijebuland.
State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN) issued the warning in a statement on Wednesday, insisting that the government had handled the succession process with fairness, restraint and in line with the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State, 2021.
His statement followed recent reports accusing the state government of interfering in the process and favouring certain interests.
Ogungbade dismissed the allegations as misleading, alleging that some of the reports were sponsored to create public hostility and exert pressure on the government.
He said the government became involved after the death of the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona, when it recognised the Fusengbuwa Ruling House as the family entitled to produce his successor but later discovered internal disagreements within the family.
According to the Attorney-General, the ruling house was operating under three different family heads, while nomination forms were reportedly being sold for sums as high as ₦10 million.
He said the government met with members of the family on November 6, 2025, and advised them to resolve their leadership differences, operate under a single recognised family head and stop collecting nomination fees from aspirants.
Ogungbade said the intervention subsequently produced what he described as positive results, with the ruling house agreeing to operate as a united family, abolishing candidature fees and refunding money already paid by aspirants.
The family, he added, also expressed appreciation to the government for its intervention.
He stressed that the intervention was not intended to deprive the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of its traditional entitlement but to ensure that the process of selecting the next Awujale was orderly, transparent and legally compliant.
Ogungbade further maintained that although the government respected the traditional mechanisms governing succession, it had statutory responsibilities in the appointment and installation of traditional rulers.
He said those responsibilities included the power to reject a nominated candidate where the interest of good governance so required.
The commissioner also drew a distinction between legitimate criticism and advocacy on one hand, and what he described as media blackmail and deliberate disinformation on the other.
He warned that the government would not permit activities allegedly designed to undermine its statutory responsibilities in the Awujale succession process.
Citing Section 61 of the Criminal Law of Ogun State, Ogungbade said unlawful acts calculated to interfere with the free exercise of the governor’s official duties could attract a three-year prison sentence.
He consequently cautioned publishers and individuals involved in what the government considers misleading reports aimed at interfering with the succession process.
According to him, the state would not hesitate to pursue appropriate legal remedies if such activities continued.
Government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the emergence of the next Awujale is consistent with applicable laws, the established traditional institutions of Ijebuland and the principles of fairness and due process.
