GOVERNOR WAS GUIDED BY "STRONG PRINCIPLE OF DUE PROCESS” – STATE GOVERNMENT
Story by Toyo C. Ngem & Ololade Barakat
As
Civics Weekly begins a “Serial Review of Year 2024”, the Obaship tussle in Isheri Olofin has been chosen as the “Celebrated Event of the Year” in the social circle of Alimosho. It is so for a number of reasons, which significantly includes it ‘destructive’ impact on a supposed pioneering event in which the Local Government was set to host 1,000 head Boys and Head Girls from across Lagos State for a Capping Orientation Programme tagged “COP’24”. The reason also includes it timing as a process that ‘purportedly’ closed it chapter in the exact cycle of 365 days. It began on December 12, 2003 with a deemed selection process for the Oba Isheri Olofin Elect, which ultimately got enmeshed in dispute with rival claimants to the vacant stool.
Exactly a year after on the dot, December 11, 2024 to be precise, the State Government moved to close the chapter of dispute with due coronation ceremony authenticated With formal presentation of Staff of Office to now Oba Olasunkanmi Ibrahim Lawal Bello. But while being a closed chapter, it rather opened a new chapter this magazine would rather coin in the topical phrase thus: “The Power Play in the Coronation of Oba Isheri Olofin”. This indeed makes the destination of this social event of the year 2024. It will nevertheless come as a two-serial narrations in which the event that closed a chapter in 2024 also makes a new chapter in 2025. The accusation of ‘Olanwa Royal Family’ that the State Government ambushed the court with the coronation thus makes the first serial to open the ‘Chapter 2025’ of the Isheri Olofin Obaship tussle in continuum.
Just about seven days past, ‘the’ Olanwa Ruling House of Isheri Olofin Kingdom rushed to the court to accuse the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu, of ambushing the Court with the installation ceremony done on Ibrahim Olasunkanmi Lawal Bello to be proclaimed as the new Oba of Isheri Olofin. Their allegation was based on the premise that the installation was done despite pendency of the Obaship tussle in court. In their fresh application to that effect at the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, they averred that the coronation ceremony was done on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, the very day the court originally fixed for ruling on the Interlocutory Injunction application they filed earlier in which the motion was argued on November 22, 2024.
But going by the official statement of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Kayode Robert, at the installation ceremony, the State Government literally insists that Ibrahim Bello was the authentic choice of ‘the’ Olanwa Ruling House and the Governor made approval for the coronation out of “strong principle” underscored by “due process that guaranteed fairness in the selection”.
The Governor is listed as the 13th Defendant in a fresh application seeking to “reverse” the State Government’s action back to the “status quo antebellum” – a position that the installation ceremony never took place in the first place. The new application is also seeking to commit the First Defendant, the “purported” Oba Ibrahim Olasunkanmi Bello, for contempt of Court.
Leading the Applicants/Plaintiffs in the newly filed Motion seeking the court to nullify the coronation is the Head of Olanwa Royal Family, Alhaji Lamidi Adebiyi. Other members are Prince Moruf Adebiyi and Prince Lukmon Adebiyi.
For the defendants, those listed behind Oba Ibrahim Bello include the opposing traditional chiefs: Balogun of Isheri Olofin, Chief Fasasi Balogun; the Eletu of Isheri Olofin, Chief Saheed Adebiyi; the Otun of Isheri Olofin, Chief Kolawole Ogundeyi; the Osi of Isheri Olofin, Chief Idowu Erinfolami; the Ajiroba of Isheri Olofin, Chief Lateef Ilyasi Abogunloko and the Iyalode of Isheri Olofin, Chief Ekundayo Abogunloko. Others are the Ajigbeda of Isheri Olofin, Chief Simbiat Abogunloko; the Aro of Isheri Olofin, Chief Wasiu Ogundeyi. Joined from the government side are: the Executive Chairman of Egbe-Idimu LCDA, Alimosho Local Government; the Chieftaincy Committee of Alimosho Local Government; the Lagos State Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs and the Governor of Lagos state.
Giving the background to the new Motion, the Applicants said out of the four Ruling Houses in the Isheri Olofin Kingdom, it was the turn of Olanwa Royal Family to present a candidate to fill the vacant stool as gazetted in the “extant Isheri Olofin Chieftaincy declaration of June 1st 1983”. They said their turn followed the Olaigbo Ruling House which presented the Sixth Olofin, Oba Wahab Ayinde Balogun, who ruled for 35years before joining his ancestors on February 8, 2022.
According to Alhaji Lamidi Adebiyi who deposed to the supporting Affidavit, the Olanwa Royal Family under him as Head of the concerned Ruling House had picked and presented a candidate to fill the vacant stool. But following the rise of rival claims to the vacant Obaship stool, they filed a subsisting court suit on July 25, 2024 and the court process were served on all the defendants. Filed along their originating motion, according to him, was a “Notice of Interlocutory Injunction seeking to restrain the rival claimant, Ibrahim Bello, (First Defendant) from parading himself as the Oba Elect of Isheri Olofin”, he said.
The defendants entered appearances accordingly, as he avered, and hearing came up on November 22, 2024 when their motion was debated. “The court fixed and consequently delivered ruling on the interlocutory injunction on December 11, 2024”. The ruling according to him, was in their favour as the Plaintiffs.
But while the ruling was underway to the awareness of both parties, according to Alhaji Lamidi, the state through the lagos State Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs (12th defendants) went ahead to act in “contempt” of the court; “proceeded to plan and organize an installation ceremony” which took place on December 11, the same day the Court ruled to restrain Ibrahim Olasunkanmi Bello from parading himself as Oba Elect of Isheri Olofin.
Thus in this implicit averment of the aggrieved Olanwa Royal family, the State Government under the approval of Governor Sanwo-Olu had ambushed the court with the move to crown new Oba for Isheri Olofin when the court was set to rule on the motion already argued by both parties. “By proceeding to hold the installation ceremony despite the pendency of the suit and the ruling, the defendants clearly attempted to steal a match on the claimants and thereby foist a fait accompli on the court”, the Affidavit read.
The Applicants, through their lawyer, George Oguntade (SAN), are now seeking “a restorative order”, setting aside the purported installation of Oba Ibrahim Bello as The new Oba of isheri Olofin. They also pray to court to “restrain” the State Government, through the Ministry of Chieftaincy and the governor, from further recognition of Ibrahim Bello “as the new Oba of Isheri Olofin pending the hearing and determination of the suit”.
The aggrieved Olanwa Family also filed application for “an Order of Interlocutory Injunction to restrain the State Government from presenting the Staff of Office to Ibrahim Bello and to restrain Bello himself from receiving same until the court determines the suit. They noted that it would be in the dignity of court to exercise its power to set aside and “reverse” the coronation by declaring it a null and void exercise because the State Government and every other defendant in the suit had acted in contempt of court.
However, in contrast to the last claim, the State Government had given and Oba Ibrahim Bello had received the Staff of Office, prompting some residents of Isheri Olofin to equally wonder “whether the applicants had not also gone to deceive the court inIn that regard”.
As to be an official response of the State Government, the presiding Commissioner had earlier affirmed that the approval of Ibrahim Bello as the Oba elect and consequently crowned Was known to follow a painstaking due process of fairness in the selection made by Olanwa Ruling House. The commissioner representing the Governor at The presentation of Staff of Office described the coronation as a historical event he was “delighted” to play a role.
He said: “This ceremony Marks magnificent milestone in the history of Isheri Olofin Kingdom and I’m delighted to be part of it. I thank Governor for his kind approval and for creating Strong principle ahead of this event. It is The due process that has guaranteed The fairness which resulted to the selection and acceptance of Ibrahim Olasunkanmi Lawal Bello as the Oba of Isheri Olofin. I Will like to thank members of the royal family, especially the Olanwa Ruling House of isheri Olofin Kingdom for ensuring that unity reigns during the selection of Their king”. Story of “THE POWER PLAY IN ISHERI OLOFIN” continues in serial 2.
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