Court Stops Government From Installing Parallel Monarch in Oyo
- Justice K.A. Adedokun of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan issued an interim order blocking any move to nominate a new Aresaadu of Iresaadu
- The court acted after Oba Abraham Oyerinde alleged that the Ministry of Local Government ignored previous court orders and pressed on with the nomination process
- Oyerinde had earlier written to Governor Seyi Makinde on September 6, 2026, urging him to stop the commissioner from appointing a parallel traditional ruler
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An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has stopped the state government, the Emiolu Ruling House, and kingmakers from taking any steps towards nominating or installing a new Aresaadu of Iresaadu in Surulere Local Government Area while Oba Abraham Oyerinde remains on the throne.
Justice K.A. Adedokun granted the interim order on Tuesday in suit No. HOI/6/2026, following arguments by the applicant's counsel, Mr. S. Raji.
Source: Twitter
According to PUNCh, the order restrains all parties from "nominating, appointing or approving any candidate for the Aresaadu of Iresaadu Chieftaincy nor taking any step in that regard pending the hearing and final determination of the Motion on Notice."
"The circumstances of this case make it one of the deserving instances when an interim order of this Honourable Court should be granted. Consequently, I found merit in the application and same is accordingly granted as prayed," Justice Adedokun said.
Why the fresh court order became necessary
Oyerinde was compelled to seek the new order after the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters allegedly disregarded earlier court orders and letters he sent, and continued with the nomination process regardless.
The Certified True Copy of the fresh order was released on Monday, September 14, 2026, together with relevant chieftaincy documents and existing court judgements.
The monarch had on September 6, 2026, written directly to Acting Governor Chief Adebayo Lawal and Governor Seyi Makinde, urging them to stop Commissioner Ademola Ojo from proceeding with plans to appoint a parallel Aresaadu.
In that appeal, Oyerinde revealed that Ojo had written two separate letters to the Surulere Local Government chairman in September 2025 and September 2026, directing the commencement of a fresh nomination process. He said those letters were allegedly premised on a claim that a court judgement had nullified his appointment as the substantive Aresaadu.
Oyerinde, in his signed statement, argued that no court of competent jurisdiction had declared the Aresaadu throne vacant. He also pointed to a Court of Appeal ruling in Appeal No. CA/I/291/2002, which found that it was not the turn of the Emiolu Ruling House to present a candidate for the throne.
He further noted that a subsequent suit filed by the Emiolu Ruling House, No. HOI/4/2019, to challenge his appointment was dismissed without any appeal.
"The Ministry has just issued a fresh letter in September 2026 to the Chairman of Surulere Local Government, directing him to instruct Emiolu Ruling House to nominate a candidate for appointment as a parallel Aresaadu while I am still on the throne," Oyerinde said in the statement.
He added that he had raised similar concerns in an open letter published in the Tribune on October 28, 2025, after the Ministry issued a comparable directive in September 2025 directing the nomination of a candidate from the Osunbiyi Ruling House.
That earlier process, he said, had already been concluded and documented by government officials under former Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
Source: Facebook
Monarchs installed by Gov Seyi Makinde
Legit.ng earlier reported that the reign of Governor Seyi Makinde in Oyo state has been marked by a somber trend - the passing of prominent traditional monarchs. In a span of just a few years, several revered kings have departed, leaving a void in the state's cultural and traditional landscape.
Source: Legit.ng
