The kingmakers of Oyo town, known as the Oyomesi in Council, have initiated a legal action with the aim of preventing the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, from ousting and replacing them. This legal challenge arises in the midst of a contentious process to select the next occupant of the esteemed Alaafin of Oyo stool.
This lawsuit, bearing the designation HOY/38/2023, has been filed before the Oyo State High Court in Oyo. The claimants in this case consist of five kingmakers. They are also seeking a court-issued injunction to prohibit the governor and his representatives from interfering with the process for selecting and appointing the candidate to occupy the vacant Alaafin of Oyo stool. The kingmakers assert that this selection process was duly conducted by the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy.
The key individuals who have brought this suit forward include 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.
Notably, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, along with the Oyo State Attorney General and the state’s Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, are listed as defendants in this legal action.
The kingmakers have conveyed that during a meeting on September 30, 2023, they unanimously selected Prince Lukman Gbadegesin as the next Alaafin of Oyo. This selection is intended to fill the historical Alaafin of Oyo stool, which has remained unoccupied since April of the preceding year due to the passing of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the 45th Alaafin of Oyo.
In their prayers to the court, the kingmakers are requesting that the Oyo State Governor and his agents be restrained from annulling the selection of Gbadegesin and from endorsing or acknowledging any other candidate as the next Alaafin. They argue that this should be done after a thoroughly conducted process in compliance with the native laws, customs, and the Chieftaincy Declaration of the Alaafin of Oyo.
Additionally, the kingmakers are seeking a court order to prevent the governor and the other defendants from dismissing them from their roles as Oyo kingmakers. They are concerned that the Oyomesi in Council may be dissolved or that warrant chiefs may be appointed or selected to instigate a new process for filling the vacant Alaafin of Oyo stool.
The kingmakers are also urging the court to intervene and stop the defendants from harassing, disrupting, or preventing them from carrying out their traditional duties and responsibilities as kingmakers of the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy.
Ancestrals news outlet had previously reported that some of the Oyo kingmakers were subjected to scrutiny by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on October 18. These allegations stemmed from suspicions of bribery related to the selection of the next Alaafin. The petitioner contended that the kingmakers had accepted substantial bribes, potentially running into millions of naira, to favor a specific candidate. This led to the EFCC summoning them for questioning.
During this process, the kingmakers who responded to the EFCC’s invitation were accompanied by their legal representatives and were required to provide statements. Subsequently, they were allowed to depart.
High Chief Lamidi Oyewale, the Samu of Oyo town, confirmed the EFCC’s invitation, affirming that they had indeed been invited and had since returned.
As of now, a hearing date for the new lawsuit filed by the kingmakers is yet to be scheduled.
