Family declares veteran actor Jide Kosoko Oloja-elect of Lagos amid conflicts

By Folashade Olorunfemi –

Veteran Nollywood actor, Prince Jide Kosoko, has been declared the Oloja of Lagos-elect by the King Kosoko Royal Family, despite the ongoing succession crisis surrounding the throne.

The position became vacant following the death of Chief Adebola Ige on December 23, 2017, leading to the emergence of several aspirants for the succession.

The royal family formally presented Kosoko at their palace as the Oloja-elect, a title historically associated with market administration and commerce in Lagos.

Olojo-Kosoko stated that screening and traditional interviews were held at the Kosoko Palace on October 7, 2020, where four aspirants — Abiola Olojo-Kosoko, the late Shola Olojo-Kosoko, Issa Aregbesola, and Abiola Aromashodu of the Odunsi Ruling House — were considered. The kingmakers later announced Abiola Olojo-Kosoko as the most qualified, crowning him Oloja-elect on December 12, 2020, in compliance with the Lagos State Obas and Chiefs Law and the 1983 Registered Declaration.

The Oloja of Lagos, also known as the Oloja of Ereko, is a historical position reserved for descendants of King Kosoko and is responsible for market administration, trade regulation, dispute resolution, and coordination with palace chiefs and the Oba of Lagos.

Traditionally, the Oloja worked in collaboration with other prominent chiefs, including the Apena, Ashogbon and Idejo. In contemporary times, the title still carries considerable influence, both in market leadership and in preserving the political legitimacy of the Kosoko royal lineage.

Meanwhile, the newly declared Oloja-elect, Jide Kosoko, is expected to undergo traditional installation and capping by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, in line with palace protocols and state traditions.

Prince Jide Kosoko was born into the Lagos royal family and studied Business Administration at Yaba College of Technology. He began his acting career in 1964 as a child actor in the television production Makanjuola and later rose to prominence through numerous English and Yoruba Nollywood films, becoming one of Nigeria’s most respected screen veterans.

However, a fresh succession crisis has emerged from the Akinsanya Olojo-Kosoko Ruling House, which accused the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, of unlawfully imposing a candidate in violation of established tradition and state law.

In a petition addressed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Akinsanya group 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 1983 Registered 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 asserted 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 was formally presented to the broader royal family at King Kosoko’s Palace on December 31, 2020, and subsequently forwarded to the Lagos State Government for ratification.

However, it was 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. The family accused the Oba of refusing to act as the statutory consenting authority while attempting to impose “a preferred candidate”.

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

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

The family pledged to continue pursuing peaceful and lawful means to resist what it described as an illegal imposition, insisting that the legitimacy of the next Oloja of Lagos can only be guaranteed through strict adherence to law and tradition.