Appeal Court Verdict Shakes Oke-Igbo Throne, Confirms High Court Ruling in Olu-Oke Chieftaincy Dispute

Appeal Court Verdict Shakes Oke-Igbo Throne, Confirms High Court Ruling in Olu-Oke Chieftaincy Dispute

Appeal Court affirmed judgment removing Ondo Oba

The Court of Appeal sitting at Akure today affirmed the judgment of the High Court of Ondo State which removed Oba Babajide Lawrence Oluwole as the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo in the Ile-Oluji/ Oke-Igbo Local Government.

The Ondo State Government had approved the appointment of Oba Babajide Lawrence Oluwole as the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo in 2018 succeeding Oba Timothy Fasawe.

However, Aare Kugbaigbe Ruling House through their counsel Chief Sola Ebiseni challenged the appointment on the ground that Babajide Lawrence Oluwole belonged to the Bamgbala Family which is not part of Aare Kugbaigbe and was not nominated by the Ruling House.

The Claimants further contended that the new Traditional Ruling Quarter system through which Babajide was appointed which sought to extend eligibility to the throne to several indeterminate families is alien to the customary law of the community which recognises only the 5 Ruling Houses constituted by the descendants of the 5 founders of the Community and has produced the 16 Rulers of the community.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Ademola Enikuomehin on the 13th April 2023, the High Court upheld the case of the Claimants and ordered the removal of Babajide Lawrence Oluwole as the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo.

In the Notice of Appeal filed on the 17th April 2023 by his counsel, Olalekan Ojo SAN and amended on the 30th May 2025 on 12 grounds Oba Babajide Lawrence prayed that the judgment of the lower court be set aside among other grounds because by the decision of the Executive Council the previous customary law as contained in the White Paper on the report of Justice Adeloye Commission of Inquiry no longer regulated appointment to the chieftaincy and that the judgment delivered more than 3 months was not valid.

In the lead judgment delivered by Hon. Justice M.L. Hassan with Hon. Justice P.O. Affen and Hon. Justice P.C. Obiorah concurring, the Court dismissed Appeal N0: CA/AK/97/2023 for lacking in merit.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Government has approved the appointment of Oba Akintoye Felix Adeoye, a lawyer and former President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) from the Are Kugbaigbe Ruling House as the new Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo.

Speaking to journalists on telephone, the lead Counsel to the new Oba, Chief Sola Ebiseni said the judgment is an affirmation of the customary law of the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo chieftaincy as earlier found by His Lordship, Justice Enikuomehin and that it will further unite the ancient town.