A prince from Ogbomoso, Kabir Olaoye, has approached the Supreme Court to challenge last Tuesday’s Court of Appeal judgment, which affirmed the selection of Oba Ghandi Olaoye as the Soun of Ogbomoso.
Kabir had, in a 2022 lawsuit marked HOG/27/2022, contested the nomination and selection of the then Prince Olaoye as Soun-elect, citing various breaches in the provisions of the Soun Chieftaincy Declaration, among other issues.
Despite the lawsuit, however, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde approved the nomination of Olaoye, leading to his installation by the kingmakers in September 2023.
The installation took a dramatic turn in October 2023 when an Oyo State High Court in Ogbomoso nullified Oba Olaoye’s position as the Soun of Ogbomosoland.
In a swift response, the Oyo State government obtained an injunction halting the enforcement of the judgment, paving the way for Oba Olaoye’s coronation in December 2023.
The state government also filed an appeal against the Ogbomoso court’s ruling.
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 an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, Prince Kabir stated that he was dissatisfied with the appellate court’s decision and had instructed 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 reject the judgment given by the appeal court in Ibadan.
“We are going to the Supreme Court. We do not agree with the judgment of the appeal court. For this reason, we are heading to the Supreme Court.”