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The Adegoroye Royal Family of Itun Onise Quarters, Ise Town, Lekki Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, has petitioned the Lagos State House of Assembly over the proposed installation of Mr. Ibrahim Adebowale Saliu, popularly known as Sangodeyi, as the Oba Onise of Ise Kingdom.
The petition, dated August 10, 2026, was filed through the family’s solicitors, Law Pharm LP, and addressed to the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa.
The royal family alleged that administrative processes were being undertaken by relevant government authorities towards the approval and installation of Saliu despite pending court cases challenging aspects of the succession process.
It, therefore, urged the House to exercise its oversight powers to investigate the process and prevail on the relevant authorities to suspend further administrative action pending the determination of the cases before the High Court of Lagos State.
The petitioners stressed that their request was not for the House to determine who should occupy the traditional stool, maintaining that the competing claims and other substantive issues were matters already before the courts.
“Our clients are not asking the Honourable House to determine the competing claims to the traditional stool,” the solicitors stated, adding that the request was for the Assembly to ensure that government agencies did not “undermine, pre-empt, frustrate or render nugatory” the judicial process.
The petition identified two pending suits relating to the succession dispute.
They are Suit No. EPD/15252GCMW/2026, pending before Court 2 of the High Court of Lagos State, Epe Judicial Division, and Suit No. ID/107169CM/2026 before the High Court in the Ikeja Judicial Division.
According to the petition, the Epe case was scheduled for mention on June 29, 2026, but was adjourned to October 29, 2026, after the court did not sit.
The royal family alleged that the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Chieftaincy Committee had taken steps concerning the Onise stool despite the fact that Ise falls under the administrative jurisdiction of Lekki LCDA.
The petition further alleged that Ibeju-Lekki Local Government had, in a letter dated April 16, 2026, acknowledged that it had no administrative or jurisdictional authority over Ise Kingdom and that Lekki LCDA was responsible for the community.
The family consequently asked the Assembly to investigate what it described as a contradiction between the earlier position of the local government and the subsequent purported approval of the installation of Saliu.
The petitioners also questioned the legitimacy of the selection process, alleging that some recognised and gazetted Part II Chiefs had dissociated themselves from the exercise.
They specifically alleged that Chief Balogun Olamide Arashi, identified as the Aro of Ise Land and a recognised Part II kingmaker, had dissociated himself from the process.
The petition also questioned the alleged participation of Chief Aliru Tiamiyu Ogunkoya, formerly the Ojon of Ise, whose appointment, according to the petitioners, was terminated in October 2023.
On the customary basis of the stool, the Adegoroye Royal Family claimed that the Onise throne was historically traceable to its lineage.
It also disputed the validity and applicability of a 1999 Chieftaincy Declaration which, according to the petition, governs the selection process for the stool.
The petitioners maintained that the historical and customary questions surrounding the stool were among the issues already before the courts and should not be conclusively determined through administrative action while the judicial process remained ongoing.
They also cited previous Supreme Court decisions, including Military Governor of Lagos State & Ors. v. Ojukwu & Anor., arguing that government authorities should not take steps capable of pre-empting judicial determination once a matter is before a competent court.
“Our clients approach the Honourable House not merely as contestants for a traditional stool but as citizens seeking the protection of the rule of law,” the petition stated.
The royal family asked the Assembly to summon relevant officials, including the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice; the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development; officials of the two local government areas; and members of the Ibeju-Lekki Chieftaincy Committee.
It also requested the House to obtain and scrutinise nomination documents, minutes of kingmakers’ meetings, attendance records, relevant government correspondence, the disputed Chieftaincy Declaration, legal advice and other documents relating to the proposed installation.
The petitioners further urged the Assembly to investigate the alleged jurisdictional role played by the Ibeju-Lekki Chieftaincy Committee and establish the status of those who participated in the process as kingmakers.
They warned that proceeding with the installation while the legal dispute remained pending could create tension in Ise Kingdom and potentially make any subsequent court judgment difficult to implement.
“The time to prevent a crisis is before the installation, not after it,” the petitioners stated, urging the Assembly to act before the proposed installation becomes an irreversible action.
They appealed to the House to refer the matter to the appropriate committee for urgent investigation and take necessary measures to protect the judicial process and prevent a possible breach of peace in the community.
