Oba Ghandi Olaoye
By Akeem Atoyebi
Ogbomoso prince, Kabir Olaoye, has gone to the Supreme Court to challenge last Tuesday’s rulings of the Court of Appeal affirming the selection of Oba Ghandi Olaoye as the Soun of Ogbomoso.
Kabir had in a 2022 suit, marked HOG/27/2022, challenged the nomination and selection of the then Prince Olaoye as Soun-elect, referencing various breaches in the provisions of the Soun Chieftaincy Declaration, among others.
The suit notwithstanding, however, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, approved the nomination of Olaoye leading to his installation by the kingmakers in September 2023.
The installation, however, took a dramatic turn in October 2023 as an Oyo State High Court in Ogbomoso sacked Oba Olaoye as the Soun of Ogbomosoland.
But in a swift reaction, the Oyo State government obtained an injunction stopping the enforcement of the judgment, paving the way for Oba Olaoye’s coronation in December 2023.
The state government also lodged an appeal against the judgment of the Ogbomoso court.
In its judgment delivered last Tuesday, the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, overturned the verdict of the Ogbomoso court and affirmed Oba Olaoye as the Soun.
However, in recent interview Prince Kabir noted that he was not satisfied with the appellate court’s judgement and had given approval for his lawyers to take the case to the Supreme Court.
He said, “I am not satisfied with the judgment of the appeal court. We are not relenting until we reclaim our mandate through the Supreme Court. We are not giving up. Outright, we say no to the judgment given by the appeal court in Ibadan.
“We are going to the Supreme Court. We are not in agreement with the judgment of the appeal court. So, for this reason, we are heading to the Supreme Court.”
