A fresh chieftaincy dispute has erupted in Odoralamo, Ijebu-Igbo, where a community leader is asking the Ogun State Government to halt an alleged plan to present a new traditional ruler before the customary process for filling the stool is concluded.
The appeal was made by Chief James Odusoga Odukoya, the Olori Ilu and recognised head of Odoralamo in Ijebu North Local Government Area, through a petition addressed to Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Odukoya, through his lawyers, Segun Aleshinloye Legal Practitioners, alleged that the Odoralamo Development Association Chairman, Elder Mathew A. Adebambo, was backing Adeboye Dada for the traditional stool despite what he described as the community’s established rotational arrangement.
The petitioner claimed that Odoralamo has four recognised quarters: Itun Aleke, Itun Aledo, Itun Nla and Itun Odeseso. According to him, the traditional leadership rotates among the four quarters, making the eligibility of a candidate’s quarter an important consideration in the selection process.
He alleged that Dada comes from the same quarter that produced the immediate past Olori Ilu, who he also identified as Dada’s father. Odukoya therefore contended that the quarter would not be due to produce the next traditional ruler under the community’s rotational system.
The dispute has taken on added urgency because of a planned community event on September 19. Odukoya said he obtained an invitation to the commissioning of the Samuel Adetango Onadele Health Centre, with the Odoralamo Development Association listed among the hosts.
He alleged that the occasion could be used to announce, present and parade Dada as the Coronet Oba of Odoralamo.
Odukoya characterised such a move as an attempt to bypass the customary and legal procedures governing the elevation and selection of the community’s traditional ruler.
He asked the state government to prevent any announcement, presentation or installation pending compliance with due process and the determination of Suit No. HCR/55/2025.
Another point of contention is the alleged role of the development association. Odukoya maintained that the organisation, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as an Incorporated Trustee, was established to promote the community’s physical, cultural, social and economic development.
He questioned whether that mandate gives the association authority to select, screen, nominate, present or install a traditional ruler. His lawyers described any attempt by the body to exercise such powers as ultra vires.
The petitioner also raised questions about the alleged involvement of the Chairman of Ijebu North Local Government Area in the matter. He called for an inquiry into what he described as a potential conflict of interest involving the council chairman and Dada.
Odukoya further appealed to the Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo and the Ijebu Traditional Council not to recognise any nomination from the development association unless the established process has been followed.
He asked the government to recognise him as a customary stakeholder in the proposed elevation of the stool and to ensure that the quarter-by-quarter rotation is observed.
The petition has put the succession process in Odoralamo under official scrutiny, with the September 19 commissioning now cited by the petitioner as a possible flashpoint in the dispute.
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