The high-stakes battle for the throne of Ikoyi and Moba Land is heading for a crucial legal showdown, as the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has adjourned a suit challenging the installation of Prince Kunle Fafunwa as the Oba Onikoyi.
Justice Olalekan Oresanya fixed January 19, 2026, for the next mention and hearing of pending applications, including a motion challenging the service of the originating processes on the incumbent Oba.
The case, which came up for mention on Thursday, drew immense public interest, with hundreds of family members and residents storming the court premises in a massive show of solidarity for the claimants.
The suit was filed by ten members of the Onikoyi Royal Family, also known as the Onikoyi Chieftaincy Family, who are seeking judicial intervention to nullify Prince Fafunwa’s selection, approval, and installation.
The claimants, including Otunba Abdul Ganiyi Kolawole Onikoyi, Prince Akinola Oyeniyi Fafunwa, Chief Hassan Kehinde Elegushi, and others, argued that the entire process was illegal, null, and void.
Represented by a legal team that includes two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), P. O. Lasisi and former Lagos Attorney-General, Adeniji Kazeem, the family contended that the process contravened the Onikoyi Chieftaincy Declaration of 2006 and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Lagos State, which govern the selection and succession to the revered stool.
Prince Kunle Fafunwa (the 4th Defendant) is represented by Wale Adesokan, SAN, with the Lagos State Government also joined as a defendant in the matter.
In the statement of claim, the family laid out the foundation of their challenge: the principle of rotational succession.
They asserted that the Onikoyi Royal Family consists of a single Muti Ruling House with ten distinct branches, including Fafunwa, Ojubiari, Kubayije, Ilumo, and others.
The claimants maintain that the 2006 Declaration mandates that succession must rotate among these branches.
Following the passing of the immediate past monarch, Oba Patrick Ibikunle Fafunwa, who hailed from the Fafunwa branch, the family insisted it is now the statutory turn of the Ojubiari branch to produce the next Oba.
The core of the family's grievance is the allegation that the appointment of Prince Kunle Fafunwa, the son of the late Oba Patrick Fafunwa, violates the established rotational principle and contravenes both family custom and extant law.
They further alleged severe procedural breaches, stating that no valid family meeting was held to nominate or ratify Prince Fafunwa’s name.
The claimants disclosed that neither the state government nor the local authorities adhered to the statutory procedure, which requires public notice and family consensus before an installation can be deemed valid.
The claimants are seeking multiple court orders, including a declaration setting aside Prince Fafunwa’s selection and installation, and a permanent injunction restraining him from parading himself or acting as the Oba Onikoyi.
Crucially, they also seek an order directing the Lagos State Government to recognise and install the 3rd claimant, Prince Abdul Waliu Omogbolahan Sulaimon, as the rightful and legitimate Oba Onikoyi.
The legal action, filed by their counsel, Mr Ademola Ekundayo of Hill City Associates, followed unanswered petitions and letters to the Lagos State Government and the Eti-Osa Local Government.
The family disclosed they had no recourse but to approach the court to prevent what they termed an illegal imposition.
They had previously sought a judicial review in a separate suit (No. LD/9134GCM/2025) to compel the state to recognise and install Prince Sulaimon.
At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel to the 4th defendant, Prince Fafunwa, drew the court’s attention to a pending motion seeking to set aside the service of the writ of summons, arguing that his client was not personally served.
Justice Oresanya noted the significance of the preliminary application and adjourned the highly anticipated matter until January 19, 2026, to allow for the hearing and determination of all pending motions.
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