*Court adjourns hearing of Oyomesi suit against Gov Makinde till Thursday
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Some residents of Oyo town today, stormed the complex of Oyo State High Court sitting in Oyo to protest in support of Governor Seyi Makinde over the legal tussle on the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo .
The Baales and the protesting residents arrived the Court premises for the hearing of a suit marked HOY/38/2023 before the Oyo State High Court in Oyo instituted by the Oyomesi , kingmakers in the town, namely the Bashorun of Oyo, High Chief Yusuf Layinka; Lagunna of Oyo, High Chief Wakeel Oyedepo; Akinniku of Oyo, High Chief Amusa Yusuf.
Some of the protesters were carrying placards having inscriptions such as ” We Stand with Governor Seyi Makinde, he is a man of honour”, ” Oyo people want due process and Ifa consultation”.
Other inscriptions of the placards carried by the residents are “Our ancestors demand for a good Alaafin”, “Alaafin Stool is not for sale.”
The residents were busy chanting songs praising Gov Makinde as well as condemning the steps by the Oyo kingmakers, (the Oyomesi)
At the mentioning of the suit, the court adjourned till Thursday the hearing of the case instituted by five out of six Oyo Mesi against Governor Seyi Makinde, the State Attorney General, and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matter over the selection of new Alaafin of Oyo
The lead Counsel to the claimants, Barrister Kazeem Sobaloju, (SAN) in his argument pleaded for a stay of status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit, stressing that the claimants have two motions before the court; motion exparte on interim order of injunction and motion of notice on interlocutory injunction.
Counsel to the defendants, Barrister E.O. Ojebisi from Oyo State Ministry of Justice told the court that they were served with the motions not up to five days as required by the law on the service of notice and requested more time to file a counter affidavit.
Urging the court to grant an order of stay of status quo as a result of the urgency in the matter, Barrister
Sobaloju submitted that the kingmakers had performed their traditional role of selecting the new Alaafin as enshrined in the Chieftaincy law but the state governor instead of approving the process asked them to start the process afresh.
Justice Ladiran Akintola however stressed that there was no urgency in the matter and, thereby, urged the counsels to agree on a date for the hearing and that the defendants should be given the opportunity to be joined in the suit with the filing of a counter affidavit.
Justice Akintola stressed that it is after this that he can rule on the stay of the status quo.
