Court dismisses suit challenging appointment of new Osun monarch

An Osun High Court sitting in Osogbo, on Wednesday, vacated the interim order restraining the Osun government from appointing a new Akinrun of Ikirun in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun from Oba Ara ruling house.

Prince Yinusa Akadiri from the Oba Ara ruling house was elected as the new Akirun by six out of the seven kingmakers in the community.

Akadiri’s appointment was sequel to the demise of the last Akinrun, Oba AbdulRauf Adedeji, in February during a brief illness after a 30-year reign.

However, two princes, Mudasiru Olatunji and Lukman Olatunji, and two others, on behalf of Gboleru ruling house had, on Nov. 24, gone to court to challenge Akadiri’s nomination.

Prince Yinusa Akadiri

They sought an interim order of the court restraining the state government from accepting the nomination from any other ruling house apart from that of Gboleru for the new Akirun.

In his ruling on Wednesday, Justice Jide Falola of Osun High Court, however, said that the application lacked merit and that granting the application would be fatal.

He said that granting the application meant that the Akirun stool might remain vacant for, at least, 10 years, taking into cognisance the judicial bureaucracy in taking matters up to the apex court.

According to Falola, the stool should be filled first, as the town is too big and crucial to be left without a ruler.

He said that the applicants had nothing to lose by pursuing their case while the appointed Akirun occupied the throne, adding that the matter would eventually be sorted out by the apex court.

In his reaction, Mr Adeoye Abiodun, Counsel to Odofin of Ikirun, Rashidi Diekola, a defendant/respondent in the suit, said that based on the ruling, the government would take the next step.