Following the ruling of the Osun State High Court, on Monday, for the dismissal of application by the sitting Akire of Ikire, Oba Olatunde Falabi, where he sought to retain the Akire stool, the monarch has filed an appeal to set aside the judgment against him.
It would be recalled that Prince Tajudeen Olanrewaju of Aketula ruling family had filed a suit against the installation of the current Akire of Ikire, on the ground that he was not entitled to the royal stool as at the time of his installation on May 8, 1993.
The Aketula family exercised the 1958 Akire Chieftaincy Declaration to contest the installation of Oba Falabi, from the High Court till Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had given a ruling in favour of the Aketula family on April 11, 2014, stating that the process that led to the nomination and installation of Oba Falabi was not in compliance with the 1958 Akire Chieftaincy Declaration, and therefore not legal.
In an interview, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Barrister Dapo Adeniji, said that although there had been a judgment for the removal of Oba Falabi before now, there was no pursuance of the judgment that the Oba should vacate the stool, thus making the judgment a mere declaration.
He added, “the case was revisited when the current Akire of Ikire instituted an action by submitting an application that the judgment be set aside. That was when the other party joined to revisit the case”.
Adeniji further explained that the execution of the removal should have taken effect, but Oba Falabi had submitted a notice of appeal, which he has the right to exercise, adding that his appeal will be followed by a stay-of-execution-of-action in favour of the sitting Akire.
