The Oyo State High Court sitting in Oyo town has adjourned for hearing the case instituted by five out of six Oyo Mesi against Governor Seyi Makinde, the State Attorney General, and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matter over the selection of new Alaafin of Oyo till Thursday.
The stool of Alaafin became vacant following the death of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.
The Claimants in suit no, HOY/38/2023 are High Yusuf Akinade Ayoola, (Basorun of Oyo town) High Chief Wakeel Akindele Oyedepo, (Laguna of Oyo town) High Chief Amuda Yusuf, (Akinniku of Oyo), High Chief Waheed Oyetunji (Aare Ago Basorun), and Chief Gbadebo Mufutau (Baale Alapo). All the Claimants were present in Court.
The lead Counsel to the claimant, Kazeem Sobaloju, (SAN), according to The Nation, had in his argument pleaded for a stay of status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.
He submitted that the claimants have two motions before the court; motion exparte on interim order of injunction and motion of notice on interlocutory injunction.
But Counsel to defendants E.O. Ojebisi, a Senior State Counsel at the Oyo State Ministry of Justice said they have just been served the motions not up to five days as required by the law on the service of notice.
He, therefore, requested more time to file a counter affidavit.
However, Sobaloju urged the court to grant an order of stay of status quo as a result of the urgency in the matter.
Sobaloju submitted that the kingmakers had performed their traditional role of selecting the new Alaafin as enshrined in the Chieftaincy law but the state governor instead of approving the process asked them to start the process afresh.
But Justice Ladiran Akintola insisted that there was no urgency in the matter and, thereby, told the counsels to agree on a date for the hearing.
He said the defendants should be given the opportunity to be joined in the suit with the filing of a counter affidavit.
According to him, it is after this that I can rule on the stay of the status quo.
Meanwhile, some indigenes of the town stormed the entrance of the court with placards with various inscriptions to show their grievances against the delay in the selection of the new monarch chosen by the Oyo Mesi.
They urged the governor not to compromise but to follow due process by approving the candidate chosen by the masses, The Nation reported.
