In Oyo Town, the High Court 1 made a significant decision by dismissing a lawsuit brought by the Basorun of Oyo town, High Chief Yusuf Ayoola, along with four other claimants. The lawsuit targeted Governor Seyi Makinde and two others concerning the vacant Alaafin stool. Interestingly, High Chief Ayoola and the other defendants were absent during the court’s judgment.
The additional claimants in this case (HOY/38/2023) were Chief Wakeel Oyedepo, the Akinniku of Oyo; High Chief Amuda Yusuf, Areago Basorun; Chief Waheed Oyetunjii; and Chief Gbadebo Mufutau, the Baale Alapo. The Lead Counsel for the claimants, Barrister Sobaloju, who was represented in court, initially sought to withdraw suit HOY/38/2023 and replace it with a fresh suit, arguing that a new suit had been filed.
Previously, Barrister Sobaloju had requested the maintenance of the status quo on two pending motions before the court on Monday, but the defense counsel argued that they hadn’t yet filed a counter affidavit for the ex parte motion. Consequently, the court adjourned the case until Thursday. However, instead of proceeding with the case as originally intended, the counsel for the claimants opted to withdraw the previous case file and introduced the new one.
Based on this development, Justice Ladiran Akintola struck out the case, indicating that the date for the hearing of the fresh suit would be communicated later. Although the counsel had hoped to proceed with the case, Justice Akintola emphasized the importance of reviewing the case file before fixing a date for the hearing.
In court, the defendants were represented by the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abiodun Aikomo.
