A prominent High Chief in Odoralamo Community, Odoralamo, Ijebu-Igbo, in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Chief James Odusoga Odukoya, has appealed to the Ogun State Government to intervene in an emerging chieftaincy dispute which he says could threaten peace and stability in the community.

Chief Odukoya, who is the Olori Ilu and recognised head of the community, raised the alarm in a petition addressed to the Ogun State Governor through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

 The petition, written through his counsel, Segun Aleshinloye Legal Practitioners, alleged that certain individuals were attempting to circumvent the established process for selecting the next traditional ruler of Odoralamo

According to the petitioner, the traditional stool of Odoralamo is currently the subject of a process for elevation from Olori Ilu to a crowned/Coronet Oba status.

He alleged that the Chairman of the Odoralamo Development Association (ODA), Elder Mathew A. Adebambo, in alleged collaboration with the Chairman of Ijebu North Local Government Area, was attempting to promote a particular candidate for the stool outside the established traditional process.

Chief Odukoya urged the state government to urgently intervene before the matter escalates into a situation capable of disrupting the peace of the community.

The High Chief stated that Odoralamo comprises four recognised quarters — Itun Aleke, Itun Aledo, Itun Nla and Itun Odeseso — and that the traditional leadership of the community rotates among the four quarters.

He maintained that the rotational arrangement is a fundamental part of the community’s traditional system and should form the basis for determining which quarter is eligible to produce the next occupant of the stool.

Chief Odukoya further alleged that despite this arrangement, the Chairman of ODA, Elder Mathew A. Adebambo, was supporting Adeboye Dada as his preferred candidate and was allegedly deciding for him to be publicly announced and paraded as the Coronet Oba of Odoralamo during the commissioning of a health centre in the community on September 19, 2026.

The petitioner argued that such a move would be contrary to the established rotational principle, alleging that Mr. Dada hails from the same quarter that produced the immediate past traditional ruler.

 In the petition, his lawyers stated that their client had informed them that the quarter being promoted to produce the next ruler was not eligible at this stage because it was the same quarter that produced the immediate past Olori Ilu, who was also alleged to have been Mr. Dada’s father.

Chief Odukoya also said he had obtained a printed invitation to the official opening of the Samuel Adetango Onadele Health Centre, scheduled for September 19, 2026, with ODA listed among the hosts and organisers of the event.

He alleged that there were plans to use the occasion to publicly announce, present and parade Mr. Adeboye Dada as the Coronet Oba of Odoralamo before members of the public.

 The High Chief described the alleged plan as an attempt to impose a traditional ruler without following the appropriate customary and legal procedures.

A major aspect of the petition is the alleged role of the Odoralamo Development Association in the chieftaincy process. Chief Odukoya argued that ODA, which he said is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as an Incorporated Trustee, was established primarily to pursue the physical, cultural, social and economic development of the community.

He therefore questioned the association’s alleged involvement in the selection, screening, presentation or installation of a traditional ruler.

According to the petitioner, ODA’s registered objectives do not confer on it the authority to select, screen, present, install or determine the occupant of the traditional stool of Odoralamo.

He described any attempt by the association to exercise exclusive control over the chieftaincy process as ultra vires, arguing that ODA is a voluntary association of community members and does not, in his view, derive customary or statutory authority to install a traditional ruler.

Chief Odukoya further alleged that the association had, over time, assumed what he described as excessive control over community affairs and was now asserting the authority to determine who would become the next traditional ruler.

In his petition, the High Chief appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to urgently intervene in the interest of peace, order and good governance. Among other requests, he asked the governor to prevent or restrain any purported announcement, presentation or installation of Mr. Adeboye Dada or any other candidate as Coronet Oba during the commissioning of the health centre on September 19, 2026, or at any other time, pending compliance with due process and the final determination of Suit No. HCR/55/2025.

He also urged the governor to direct the Chairman of Ijebu North Local Government Area to recognise and engage him, as the sitting Olori Ilu and recognised head of Odoralamo, as an appropriate customary stakeholder in all matters relating to the proposed elevation and selection process.

The petitioner further called for an inquiry into what he described as an apparent conflict of interest and alleged abuse of office arising from the local government chairman’s relationship with Mr. Adeboye Dada.

According to Chief Odukoya, the alleged conflict was reflected in a letter dated July 11, 2025, which he said was addressed solely to the Odoralamo Development Association and contained an indication that Mr. Dada would be compensated through the machinery of the local government.

Chief Odukoya also appealed to His Royal Majesty, the Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo, and the Ijebu Traditional Council not to recognise, approve or ratify any nomination or recommendation from ODA concerning the Odoralamo traditional stool unless the established process has been followed.

He specifically urged the relevant authorities to ensure strict compliance with the quarter-by-quarter rotational principle, insisting that only a candidate from the quarter whose turn it is to produce the next traditional ruler should be considered.

The petitioner also requested that the Ogun State Government formally clarify that ODA, as a voluntary Incorporated Trustee organisation, has no customary or statutory authority to independently select, present or install a traditional ruler for Odoralamo. He argued that any purported exercise of such authority by the association should be regarded as invalid and without legal effect.

The petition was reportedly copied to the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Ogun State, His Royal Majesty Oba Lawrence Jaiyeaba Adebayo, the Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo, members of the Ijebu Traditional Council of Obas, and the Secretary of the Ijebu Traditional Council of Obas, among others.

The development has brought renewed attention to the chieftaincy process in Odoralamo, with Chief Odukoya calling for government and traditional authorities to intervene to ensure that the matter is resolved peacefully and in accordance with the community’s established customs and applicable law.