Oyo Kingmakers Drag Gov Makinde To Court Over Alaafin Stool

Five kingmakers in Oyo town, known as the Oyomesi in Council, have taken legal action against Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, regarding the vacant stool of the Alaafin of Oyo.

The claimants have filed a suit marked HOY/38/2023 before the Oyo State High Court seeking an injunction to prevent the governor and his agents from interfering with the selection and appointment process of the candidate for the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy, which was conducted by the kingmakers.

The defendants in the suit include Makinde, the Oyo State Attorney General, and the state’s Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

The kingmakers who filed the suit are the Bashorun of Oyo, High Chief Yusuf Layinka; Lagunna of Oyo, High Chief Wakeel Oyedepo; Akinniku of Oyo, High Chief Amusa Yusuf; Areago Bashorun, Chief Wahab Oyetunji; and the Alapo of Oyo, Chief Gbadebo Mufutau.

The kingmakers said they had held a meeting on September 30, 2023, where they unanimously selected Prince Lukuman Gbadegesin as the next Alaafin of Oyo to fill the ancient stool, which has become vacant since April last year, following the passing of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who was the 45th Alaafin of Oyo.

The kingmakers are praying the court to restrain the Oyo State Governor and his agents from nullifying the choice of Gbadegesin and “approving or recognising any other candidate” as the next Alaafin “after a duly conducted process for the filling of the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo in accordance with the native law, custom and Chieftaincy Declaration of Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy.”

The court is being urged by the kingmakers to prohibit the governor and the other defendants from dismissing them as Oyo kingmakers or dissolving the Oyomesi in Council. Additionally, they seek to prevent the appointment or selection of warrant chiefs to initiate a new procedure for filling the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo.

Furthermore, the kingmakers request the court to intervene and prevent the defendants from engaging in any form of harassment, disturbance, prevention, or obstruction that would impede the claimants from fulfilling their traditional duties and responsibilities as kingmakers of the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy.

Naija News recall that some of the Oyo kingmakers were on October 18 grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of bribery in relation to the selection of the next Alaafin.

The petitioner alleged that the kingmakers had accepted bribes amounting to millions of naira in order to show favouritism towards a specific candidate. As a result, the EFCC decided to summon them for questioning. It has been discovered that the kingmakers, who responded to the EFCC’s invitation, were accompanied by their legal representatives and were required to provide written statements before being allowed to leave.

The Samu of Oyo town, High Chief Lamidi Oyewale, who spoke with The PUNCH earlier, confirmed that the EFCC had indeed extended an invitation to them, stating, “Yes, we were invited. We have already attended and returned.” At present, no date has been set for the hearing of the new lawsuit filed by the kingmakers, Naija News understands.