Awujale Succession: Court Throws Out Wasiu’s Injunction Bid, Schedules Jan 14 Hearing
The Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode has dismissed an application for an interim injunction filed by an aspirant to the Awujale of Ijebuland stool, Otunba Wasiu Olasunkanmi Ayinde Adesanya Marshall, ruling that the request lacked merit.
The decision was delivered on Monday by the presiding judge of High Court 3, Ijebu-Ode Judicial Division, Hon. Justice A. A. Omoniyi, who refused to restrain the Ogun State Government and other respondents from continuing with the process of selecting the next Awujale of Ijebuland.
Wasiu Marshall had approached the Court seeking an interim order to halt all actions connected with the succession process pending the determination of his substantive suit.
He argued that allowing the process to continue would undermine his claims and potentially render the court action nugatory if the selection was concluded before the case was decided.
In his ruling, Justice Omoniyi held that the applicant failed to place sufficient materials before the court to justify the grant of an interim injunction.
The judge noted that interim reliefs are discretionary and must be supported by compelling legal and factual grounds, which were not established in the application.
“The court is not persuaded that the applicant has made out a case warranting the grant of the interim injunction sought,” the judge ruled, adding that the application lacked merit.
Despite declining the interim relief, the court recognized the importance of the subject matter and ordered an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit.
Justice Omoniyi subsequently adjourned the case to 14 January 2026 for further proceedings, directing all parties to be ready to proceed expeditiously.
In the substantive action, Marshall is challenging the Awujale succession process on the grounds of alleged violations of the Ogun State Chieftaincy Law.
He is also contending that his constitutional right to fair hearing was breached in the course of the process leading to the selection of a new Awujale.
The Awujale of Ijebuland stool remains one of the most influential and revered traditional institutions in Ogun State and across Yorubaland.
As a result, issues surrounding its succession often draw widespread attention from traditional rulers, community leaders, and indigenes of Ijebuland both at home and in the diaspora.
Observers note that the court’s refusal to grant an interim injunction effectively allows the succession process to continue, pending the final determination of the suit.
However, the accelerated hearing ordered by the court is expected to provide clarity on the legality of the process within a relatively short time.
The matter is expected to return to court on January 14, 2026, for further hearing.
