Court removes Popular Monarch in Ekiti

A State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Monday sacked the Alawo of Awo-Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun local government area of the state, Oba Abdulazeez Olaleye for his irregular appointment and enthronement.

The court has however directed Olaleye to stop parading himself as the traditional ruler of the community and ordered the state government to begin the process of selecting a new Alawo for the town from the Aladejuyigbe ruling house.

Former governor Ayodele Fayose had in 2017 appointed Olaleye as the traditional ruler of the community.

Justice Abiodun Adesodun while giving his ruling on Monday in the suit number HAD/134/2020 said the state government erred in presenting the certificate of installation to the embattled monarch in 2017 when the suit is pending in court

Justice Adesodun ruled that it was improper, unjust and indefensible for the Ekiti state government in 2017 to direct the Aladejuyigbe’s ruling house to go back to court rather than to set aside the appointment of Mr Olaleye as Alawo of Awo Ekiti.

The court also ordered the State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Professor Adio Afolayan to withdraw the certificate and staff of office given to the former monarch saying that, ” it was done in flagrant disobedience to the due process of selecting a traditional ruler. “

The applicant, Prince Ebenezer Aladejuyigbe on behalf of the Aladejuyigbe ruling house in his originating summons through his lawyer, Dayo Akinlaja, SAN contested the eligibility of Olaleye, arguing that the appointment was defective.

Akinlaja while noting that the judgement was in tune with the chieftaincy law of the state, added that it would not portray the state government in bad light as he noted that it was in tandem with the constitutional provisions.

Akinlaja SAN prayed the court to award a sum of 200,000 naira fine against the second respondent for the cost of litigations, but the court granted a sum of 100,000 as fine against the former traditional ruler.

Counsel to the respondents, Rotimi Agbede who was in court did not speak to newsmen after the judgement was delivered.

Meanwhile, some residents of the town trooped out in their large numbers in jubilation having heard the court judgement which sacked the monarch, Mr. Abdulazeez Olaleye.

It was a jubilation galore in the town as the state high court sitting in Ado Ekiti removed the traditional ruler of the town, Mr. Abdulazeez Olaleye after five years of his ruling.

Youths, olds and aged people in the town were not left out in the jubilation fiesta.

The people, armed with the canes the symbol of a traditional festival in the town, danced round major streets of the town, the palace area and ended it at the heart of the town.

Some traditional chiefs in the community who said that they have not be wearing their beads, the symbol of their titles in the last five years, apparently demonstrating their anger, adorned the beads and celebrate the removal of the monarch.

The Sapetu of the town, High Chief Michael Ogunleye who spoke with newsmen said the sacked traditional ruler was not an indigene of the town.

The aged traditional Chief further stressed that no one has ever performed traditional rites on the sacked traditional ruler, hence he could not leave in the palace ever since he was crowned.

Some residents of the town that also spoke in an interview with newsmen include Alade Olasupo and Yemisi Ogunleye, they explained that the court’s ruling was a victory over evil for blessings that the town will soon witness.

Another residents to include, engineer, Adu Israel and Ajayi Kehinde described the court ruling as freedom for all natives of the town.

Ajayi Kehinde explained that the judgment was a victory for all sons and daughters of the town.

The Community had been embroiled in Crisis in the last five years following the enthronement of Mr. Azeez Olaleye as the new Alawo of Awo Ekiti, the development that snowballed into anarchy in 2017 which forced the State Government to impose a dusk to dawn curfew on the town.