COURT RESTRAINS OYO FROM APPOINTING PARALLEL MONARCH
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By:Aminat Tajudeen
Justice K.A. Adedokun of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has restrained the state government from nominating or installing a parallel Aresaadu of Iresaadu in Surulere Local Government Area while Oba Abraham Oyerinde remains on the throne.
The order was issued on Tuesday in Suit No. HOI/6/2026 following an application by Oba Adeyeye, represented by his counsel, Mr S. Raji.
The court barred the Oyo State Government, Emiolu Ruling House and the kingmakers from nominating, appointing or approving any candidate for the Aresaadu chieftaincy stool or taking any related action pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion.
In granting the injunction, Justice Adedokun held that the applicant had demonstrated that his rights were under threat and required protection by the court.
The judge said the circumstances of the case warranted an interim order, adding that the application had merit and was therefore granted as prayed.
Oba Adeyeye approached the court after alleging that the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters had failed to act on his letters and previous court orders and had proceeded with plans to initiate a fresh nomination process for the traditional stool.
The certified true copy of the latest court order was made available on Monday, September 14, 2026, alongside other chieftaincy documents and previous court judgments.
The monarch had earlier appealed to Acting Governor Bayo Lawal and Governor Seyi Makinde to halt moves allegedly being made by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Ademola Ojo, to appoint a parallel Aresaadu.
In a statement issued on September 6, 2026, Oba Adeyeye alleged that the ministry had written to the Chairman of Surulere Local Government in September 2025 and again in September 2026, directing the commencement of a process to nominate another candidate for the stool.
He argued that the Aresaadu stool had not been declared vacant by any court of competent jurisdiction.
According to the monarch, the Court of Appeal had earlier ruled in Appeal No. CA/I/291/2002 that it was not the turn of the Emiolu Ruling House to produce a candidate for the stool.
He further stated that a subsequent suit filed by the Emiolu Ruling House challenging his appointment, Suit No. HOI/4/2019, was dismissed by the court, with the appeal against the judgment later withdrawn.
Oba Adeyeye said he was nominated by the Osunbiyi Ruling House after the death of Prince Jimoh Oloyede in December 2018. His nomination was subsequently approved by the kingmakers and the state government, while his appointment and instrument of office were issued in May 2019.
He also disclosed that he had previously obtained a judgment in Suit No. HOI/19/2020 directing the government to recognise him as the substantive Aresaadu and release his entitlements.
According to him, the government failed to comply with the judgment, prompting further legal action.
He said several other suits relating to the chieftaincy stool remain pending before the courts, including cases filed by the Emiolu Ruling House, members of the Osunbiyi Ruling House and the kingmakers.
Oba Adeyeye also alleged that the Ministry of Justice had issued legal advice directing the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to comply with existing court judgments and recognise him as Aresaadu.
He further stated that contempt proceedings had been instituted against officials allegedly involved in disobeying the court’s earlier order.
The monarch consequently appealed to the state government to withdraw the letters directing the fresh nomination process and stop any meetings by the Surulere Local Government authorities and the Emiolu Ruling House aimed at selecting another candidate.
He urged the government to nullify any process initiated to fill what he described as a non-existent vacancy and sanction any officials found to have acted in disobedience of subsisting court orders.
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