Royal showdown in Lagos as ruling house rejects Jide Kosoko, seeks Sanwo-Olu intervention

A fresh succession crisis has erupted in Lagos over the Oloja of Lagos stool, with the Akinsanya Olojo-Kosoko ruling house accusing the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, of unlawfully imposing a candidate in violation of established tradition and state law.

In a strongly worded petition addressed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the ruling house rejected the announcement of Prince Babajide Kosoko of the Oteniya Ruling House as the new Oloja of Lagos, describing the move as a breach of the Lagos State Obas and Chiefs Law and the Registered 1983 Declaration governing succession to the stool.

In a statement jointly signed by the head of the family, Prince Surajudeen Abiodun Olojo-Kosoko, and its General Secretary, Prince Theophilus Olojo-Kosoko, the ruling house maintained that Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko of the Akinsanya-Olojo ruling house remains the duly elected Oloja-Elect.

According to the family, Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko was elected by the kingmakers of the King Kosoko Royal Family on December 12, 2020, in a process it said was conducted strictly in accordance with custom and law. His emergence, the statement added, was formally presented to the wider royal family at King Kosoko’s Palace on December 31, 2020, and subsequently forwarded to the Lagos State Government for ratification.

The family, however, alleged that the sudden announcement of Prince Babajide Kosoko on January 24, 2026, followed by his presentation at the palace of the Elereko two days later, was carried out under “pressure and influence” from Oba Akiolu. It accused the Oba of refusing to act as the statutory consenting authority while attempting to impose a preferred candidate.

“This action is full of mischief and a deliberate attempt to subvert both the law and centuries-old tradition,” the statement said.

The Akinsanya ruling house warned that the development mirrors an earlier succession dispute that led to the emergence of the late Chief Adebola Idris Disu Ige, a process it noted was later overturned by the courts. Following that episode, the family said it became the next ruling house in line and was formally invited, via a letter dated September 19, 2019, to present a candidate—a process that culminated in the emergence of Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko.

Describing the latest development as provocative and destabilising, the family expressed deep concern over the lack of consultation and what it termed an attempt to “rewrite traditional history” by collapsing established boundaries among the ruling houses.

The ruling house appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to intervene urgently, warning that failure to do so could deepen divisions within the royal family and erode confidence in the state’s traditional institutions.

It called on the governor to review the appointment of Prince Babajide Kosoko, convene all relevant stakeholders to restore a lawful and transparent process, and promptly ratify the December 2020 election of Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko.

The family said it would continue to pursue peaceful and lawful means to resist what it described as an illegal imposition, insisting that only strict adherence to law and tradition can guarantee the legitimacy of the next Oloja of Lagos.