Friday, March, 13 2026 - A fresh legal battle has emerged within the Kosoko Royal Family of Lagos over the succession to the vacant Oloja of Lagos stool, as one ruling house challenges recent moves to initiate a new nomination process.
The Akinsanya Olojo Ruling House has approached the Lagos
State High Court, urging the court to halt any efforts to appoint or install a
new Oloja, arguing that the authorities have ignored an earlier nomination
conducted by the kingmakers.
The suit, filed by the head of the Akinsanya Olojo Ruling
House, Surajudeen Abiodun Olojo-Kosoko, alongside another claimant, names the
Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, and six other parties as defendants.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Olusegun Fabunmi (SAN)
said the legal action was necessary due to the alleged failure of the relevant
authorities to recognize the nomination of Abiola Olojo-Kosoko.
“The family was surprised by a letter dated March 3, 2026,
from the Lagos Island Local Council requesting the Kosoko Royal Family to
nominate a preferred candidate between Abdul Rafiu Babajide Akanni Kosoko and
Mukaila Olanrewaju Kosoko for the vacant stool,” Fabunmi said.
He explained that the request was based on a February 20,
2026, correspondence from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, which referenced
a prior letter from the Oba of Lagos regarding the two princes.
Fabunmi argued that this request disregarded an earlier
process in which Abiola Olojo-Kosoko had been unanimously elected by the nine
kingmakers of the ruling houses on December 12, 2020, in line with the Oloja of
Lagos Chieftaincy Family Declaration of 1983.
“The candidate was subsequently presented to members of the
royal family at King Kosoko Palace on Ereko Street, Lagos Island, on December
31, 2020.
Traditional and administrative steps toward his installation
began in 2021 after he fulfilled the requirements under the Lagos State Obas
and Chiefs Law,” he said.
In the court case, the claimants are seeking a declaration
affirming that it is exclusively the turn of the Akinsanya Olojo Ruling House
to produce the Oloja of Lagos, and that Abiola Olojo-Kosoko, having been
screened and elected by the kingmakers, is the rightful heir to the stool.
Fabunmi further revealed that the claimants have filed an
application for an interlocutory injunction to restrain government agencies and
other parties from taking steps that could affect the chieftaincy process while
the litigation is ongoing.
He urged all authorities involved, including the Lagos
Island Local Council, to refrain from any action that may prejudice the matter,
citing the Supreme Court ruling in Military Governor of Lagos State v Emeka
Odumegwu Ojukwu (1986), which prohibits parties from taking self-help measures
once a dispute is before the court.
Copies of the court filings have been forwarded to the Lagos
State Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy
Affairs, the Oba of Lagos, and other stakeholders involved in the dispute.
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