From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The decision, recently by the court to nullify Government White Paper, sacking some traditional rulers in Osun State has raised some concerns about the propriety or otherwise of government’s action.
Efforts to implement the white paper removing Oba Gboyega Famodun as the Owa of Igbajo by Governor Ademola Adeleke may be in jeopardy, following the ruling by the court, presided over by Justice A. O. Ayoola, which criticised the white paper.
Famodun, who was the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was unanimously selected as the sole candidate of the Owa-Ode Ruling House on November 11, 2022 and by November 22, he was formally announced as the Owa Igbajo by the Osun State Government, while he was installed as Owa on November 24, just three days before Ademola Adeleke was sworn in as Governor of Osun State.
On November 28, 2022, shortly after his inauguration, Governor Adeleke issued six executive orders, one of which addressed chieftaincy affairs. He stated, “All appointments of traditional rulers made by the Osun State Government after July 17, 2022, are hereby ordered to be reviewed to ensure strict compliance with due process of chieftaincy declarations and native law, custom, and tradition. In the cases of Ikirun, Iree, and Igbajo, to prevent a further breakdown of law and order, the appointments of the Akinrun of Ikirun, Aree of Iree, and Owa of Igbajo are hereby put on hold pending review. Subsequently, the palaces should remain unoccupied, while security agencies are ordered to take charge.”
Fourteen months later, in January 2024 to be precise, Adeleke released a white paper dismissing the three monarchs: Owa of Igbajo, Oba Adegboyega Famodun; Are of Iree, Oba Ademola Ponle; and Akirun of Ikirun, Oba Yinusa Akadiri. The report declared all previous actions related to the installation of these monarchs null and void and mandated that an inclusive selection process for a new Aree of Iree and Owa of Igbajo commence immediately.
The kingmakers in Iree were asked to withdraw their lawsuit to allow the selection process to begin in accordance with due process and tradition. The white paper also nullified the prior selection process that produced Prince Gboyega Famodun and directed an inclusive selection process for a new Owa nominee.
Regarding the disputed Akirun stool, the white paper instructed the parties to await the outcome of the case before the Court of Appeal, keeping the stool vacant.
In March 2024, Adeleke presented the staff of office to Oba Ademola Makinde as the new Owa of Igbajo. However, a court order restrained the governor from presenting the staff of office to Muritala Oyelakin as the new Aree of Iree in May 2024, while legal disputes continued over the Akirun stool.
Following the installation of Oba Makinde, Tajudeen Lawal, the APC chairman in the state, criticised the governor’s actions, stating, “would it be right for Governor Adeleke to be a judge in his own case? Thank God that the judiciary, in whom we have absolute confidence, will adjudicate fairly on this matter.”
Lawal asserted that Oba Famodun is the duly recognised Owa of Igbajo, saying that any other claim to the contrary is invalid.
In January 2025, Osun State High Court nullified both the executive order and the white paper issued by the government, prompting outrage from the administration, which has vowed to appeal the ruling.
A statement from the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, expressed “rude shock and disbelief” at the judgment that voided the white paper. He emphasised that the government respects the rule of law and urged all parties to maintain the status quo until the Court of Appeal resolves the issue.
Alimi called for calm and order in Igbajo, stressing the importance of maintaining peace in the community. He stated that “it would be inappropriate for people to take the law into their own hands. The government will not tolerate any acts of lawlessness.”
Speaking with Daily Sun on the matter, Alimi noted that Justice Ayoola’s ruling contradicts a previous judgment by Justice Agboola Mathias, who upheld the white paper in November 2023. He expressed optimism that the appellate court would reconcile these conflicting judgments.
Counsel for Oba Famodun, Muideen Adeoye, expressed confidence that the appellate court would deliver justice, assuring that there is no cause for alarm. He stated, “the court has upheld our position that the white paper regarding the Owa of Igbajo is illegal. We believe that justice will prevail.”
The ongoing appeal and the conflicting judgments by Justices Mathias and Ayoola have placed the white paper under scrutiny, leaving the people of Osun, particularly the royal families in Iree, Igbajo, and Ikirun, to await the court’s decision.
