Court restrains Adeleke from presenting staff of office to Osun monarch

An Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo, the state capital, has restrained Governor, Ademola Adeleke from presenting the Staff of Office to the new Aree of Iree town, Oba Muritala Oyelakin.

The restraining order dated Friday, May 3, followed a motion ex parte filed by Oba Raphael Oluponle in a suit numbered HOS/20/2024 through his counsel, Abdulrahaman Okunade, where he sought an order of interlocutory restraining Adeleke from proceeding further in installing Oyelakin as the Aree, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

Other defendants in the suit are Prince Muritala Oyelakin, the State Attorney-General, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, among others.

Counsel to the applicant, Okunade, who moved the application, sought an order of interlocutory restraining the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants from issuing the 9th defendant, Oyelakin, with a certificate, instrument and/or staff of office as the Aree of Iree, or taking any further steps in formally installing him as the Aree of Iree pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The respondents were not legally represented in court.

After the application had been moved, the presiding judge, Justice M. Awe, held, “I have no doubt in my mind having considered the deposition of the applicant together with the attached exhibits, as well as the counsel’s submissions on same that this application ought to succeed.

“There is indeed an urgent need to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction also filed in respect of the same matter.

“Accordingly, the claimant/applicant’s application succeeds and it is hereby ordered as prayed.”

The judge added, “And specifically, the 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th respondents are hereby restrained from issuing the 9th defendant (Prince Muritala Oyelakin) with a certificate, instrument and/ or Staff of Office as the Aree of Iree or taking any further step in formally installing him.”

The applicant in the matter, Oba Raphael Oluponle was appointed and installed Aree by the immediate past governor of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola towards the twilight of his tenure in November 2022.

Oyetola’s successor, Adeleke, had immediately, after taking over, reversed the appointments of all traditional rulers appointed by Oyetola.

He specifically told the then Aree of Iree, Oba Oluponle; the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Olalekan Akadiri, and the Owa of Igbajo, Oba Adegboyega Famoodun, to vacate their palaces, pending the conclusion of a probe into the processes that led to their emergence.

But in January 2024, the state government released White Papers on the probe into the controversies relating to the emergence of the three royal fathers and called for fresh selection processes to fill the Aree and Owa of Igbajo stools.

It, however, declared the stool of Akinrun vacant, urging all parties to wait for the outcome of the suit pending before a Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, on the matter.

The fresh selection processes ordered by the state government had produced Oyelakin as the new Aree, while Oba Ademola Makinde was appointed and installed as the new Owa of Igbajo.