The kingship tussle rocking Oke-Igbo in Ile -Oluji/Oke -Igbo local Government area of Ondo State has come to an end after the Ondo State High Court, sitting in Ondo town, ordered the deposition of the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo, Oba Babajide Oluwole. The royal stool became vacant in 2007 after the death of Oba Timothy Fasawe. The stool remained unoccupied for more than a decade as a result of a series of litigations before Oba Oluwole was chosen amidst a lawsuit to rule the community. However, after his coronation, the Odo-Eleyowo Ruling House, which had been lying claim to the throne, even when Oba Oluwole’s predecessor was alive, rose again and went to court to claim that their candidate, Babatunde Fasogbon was the rightful candidate to the throne.
The Odo-Eleyowo also fought for the preservation of the right of their ruling house to the throne. However, a High Court in Ondo ruled in favour of the Aare Ruling House who got the nod to produce their candidates who were thoroughly screened. Two of the contestants made it to the final list, Oba Lawrence Oluwole, from Bamigbala Alapinni indigenous family and Prince Israel Adebowale Odefadehan from Kugbayigbe indigenous family. While Oluwole was chosen.
After six years of occupying the throne, the court nullified the appointment of Oluwole last week. It admitted that Oluwole, is not a member of the ruling house whose turn was to fill the then-vacant stool of the town.
Two princes from the Aare Kugbaigbe Ruling House, Rufus Adekanye and Temitope Adeoye, Head and Secretary of the House respectively, had approached the court to challenge the enthronement of Oba Oluwole by the state government. According to the suit filed by their lawyer, Mr Sola Ebiseni, the claimants claimed that the defendant is not a member of the Aare Kugbaigbe Ruling House whose turn was to produce a candidate to the throne.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Ademola Enikuemehin, the court admitted that Oluwole was not a member of the ruling house to produce the king and also not qualified to be presented as the kingship candidate. The judge ordered that the eligibility to the throne should be restricted to the descendants of Odo Eleyowo, Aare Kugbaigbe, Kuole Oloje, Aderin Ologbenla and Ajibike Adedimeji of the male lineage who are the five ruling houses.
The court also gave an injunction restraining Oba Oluwole from parading himself or allowing himself to be paraded as the king and the rights and privileges pertaining to the person, title and office of the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo were taken from him.
