Royal tussle: Appeal Court dismisses case for lacking in merit

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, has dismissed an appeal filed by the Ogbimoyun Ruling House of Odo Ayedun, in Ikole Local Government, challenging the judgment delivered by Justice Abiodun Adesodun of the State High Court, Ikole-Ekiti, on June 28, 2016, which nullified the selection of Oba Ilesanmi Ajibade as the Owa of Odo Ayedun-Ekiti and affirmed Prince Adeniyi Adekunle as the Owa-elect of the town.

In a three-man unanimous judgment read yesterday by Justice Omoro Akinbami in the suit, Igigbami Vs Adekunle, the judges dismissed the suit filed by the ruling house for lacking in merit.

The ruling house had in its application to the court posited that since the lower court had dethroned Oba Ajibade in favour of Prince Adeniyi Adekunle of the  same ruling house, the Serungunle Ruling House had utilised its turn on the royal stool and thus cannot produce two kings successively.

The counsel to Prince Adekunle, Dr Ropo Filani, who commended the Appeal Court judges for the unanimous decision and their “forthrightness”, described the judgment as “a welcome development.”