The Ondo State High Court, sitting in Ondo, has ordered the deposition of Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo in the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government of the state.
Delivering judgement on a suit filed by two princes from the Aare Kugbaigbe Ruling House, Rufus Adekanye and Temitope Adeoye, Head and Secretary of the House, respectively, the court judge, Justice Ademola Enikuemehin, declared that Oba Babajide Oluwole was not a member of the ruling family due for a coronation.
Oba Oluwole was crowned as the community’s monarch in 2018.
Members of the other ruling houses however insisted that Oluwole was not a member of the ruling house, whose turn it was to ascend the throne.
According to the suit filed by their lawyer, Sola Ebiseni, the claimants maintained that the defendant was not a member of the Aare Kugbaigbe Ruling House, whose turn it is to present a candidate for the throne, saying the stool is still vacant.
In a ruling on Friday in Ondo, Justice Ademola Enikuemehin ordered that “the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo Chieftaincy in the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of Ondo State is subject to the Declaration in Part two of Justice Adeloye Judicial Commission Of Inquiry On Chieftaincy Matters and the Chiefs Law CAP 27 Volume 1 Laws of Ondo State 2006.”
The judge said, “Under the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo Declaration contained in Part Two of Justice Adeloye Judicial Commission Of Inquiry On Chieftaincy Matters, eligibility to the throne is restricted to the descendants of (1) Odo Eleyowo (2) Aare Kugbaigbe (3) Kuole Oloje (4) Aderin Ologbenla (5) Ajibike Adedimeji of the male linage who is thus constituted as the five Ruling Houses of the Chieftaincy.
“Under and by the Oke-Igbo Declaration contained in Part Two of Justice Adeloye Judicial Commission Of Inquiry On Chieftaincy Matters, only members of the said Aare Kugbaigbe Ruling House of the male linage are qualified to be proposed as the candidate(s) and be made an Oba at the turn of the Ruling House.
“The fifth defendant (Oba Oluwole), not being a descendant of the Aare Kugbaigbe, is not a member of the Aare Kugbaigbe Ruling House and therefore not qualified under the declaration to be proposed as a candidate for the vacant stool of or be made the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo.”
The court also gave an injunction restraining “the fifth defendant from or further parading himself or allowing himself to be paraded as or accorded the rights and privileges about the person, title and office of the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo.”
It restrained the defendants “jointly and severally from parading as or further according to the fifth defendant the recognition, rights and privileges, of the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo.”