Temitope Adedeji
Akure
An appeal court sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital has asked Oba John Olaniji Ogundoju, the Akinnuwa of Igbindo community in Ondo West local government to vacate his seat and stop parading himself as the traditional ruler of the ancient community.
It will be recalled that a high court sitting in Ondo town, sometime in 2015, sacked the monarch barely two weeks after he was presented by the kingmakers in the community and was given staff of office by the state government.
Unsatisfied with the action of the kingmakers and leaders of the ruling house, some princesses from Ogbowo Okun Ruling House, led by Adetutu Ifashole and Okunade Makinde Fashole, had dragged Ogundoju and four others to court over his eligibility as the Akinnuwa of Igbindo in the council area.
Other defendants aside the monarch include, Adeodi Adebayo, Taye Akinkugbe, the chairman of the ruling house, Adeseeke Adewale Stephen and Joseph Olamodimu, secretary of the ruling house.
Similarly, the plaintiffs stated that, based on the White Paper on the Olayiwola Chieftaincy review commission 1982, it is the turn of Ogbowo Okun ruling house to produce the next monarch of the town.
Consequently, the plaintiffs prayed for an order of “injunction restraining the Ogundoju, second and third defendants from imposing Ogundoju on Ogbowo Ruling House as the Akinnuwa of Igbindo”
Justice Adegbehingbe held that since only sons from the male lineage could be made monarch, “Ogundoju is not eligible to contest and ascend the vacant stool of the Akinnuwa of Igbindo from the Ogbowo Ruling House whose turn is to fill the vacant stool having hailed from the female line of the ruling house.”
In a three-hour judgment, Justice Mohammed Danjuma, who read the judgement on behalf of other members of the panel, upheld the earlier judgement of the high court and based his judgement on the fact and evidence adduced by parties involved in the matter.
“I have nothing useful to add. I only wish to make a few comment by way of emphasis to the point being made thereof. In the instant case, I have visited the record of appeal. The judgement of the trial court was encased at pages 308-357 of the record which I have equally perused,” he declared.
