Three branches of the Oduntan family of the Idomila ruling house of Iba – Oseni, Shonibare and Orootan – through their lawyer, Francis Odinni, alleged that the installation was “highly contemptuous, unlawful and illegal.”
In a letter written by their lawyer and addressed to the governor, the families claimed that in a suit pending before the state High Court, the parties agreed that there was no chieftaincy declaration on the Oniba of Iba chieftaincy stool and a court preservative order was given in respect of that.
According to them, the presiding judge urged the families to meet to fashion out a chieftaincy declaration for the stool, which they have been meeting on.
However, the families noted that they were surprised when they learnt about the installation of the new monarch.
The letter read in part, “Your esteemed office and relevant officials of the state government having responsibilities over the stool are equally aware of the pendency of appeal No: CA/LAG/CV/396/2020 between Oba Yushua Goriola Oseni and Alhaji Liadi Busari and four others, wherein the main issue for determination is the rights of the parties to occupy the stool of the Oniba of Iba.
“Apart from the above pending appeal, there is also a pending suit at the High Court of Lagos State with suit no: LD/6917GCMW/2020 between Chief Taofeek Oloyede Oseni and three others vs Arowolo Obadiah and four others, Coram…Abdullahi J, where a preservative order had been made in respect of the said stool of the Oniba of Iba. In the said case, the parties are unanimous and agreeable to the singular and salient fact that there exists no chieftaincy declaration on the Oniba of Iba chieftaincy stool.
“The non-existent of a valid and subsisting chieftaincy declaration regulating the stool of the Oniba Of Iba was predicated upon the fact that the previous chieftaincy declaration was declared invalid by the then Justice O. A. Adefope-Okojie in suit no: ID/607/2000 between Chief Obadiah Olorunogbagbe Enikan Arowolo and two others vs Yaya Olajide Abudu and two others, and the said judgment is currently on appeal.
“It was consequent upon the above that the learned judge in High Court of Lagos State with suit no: LD/6917GCMW/2020 advised the parties to first meet and spearhead the fashioning of a chieftaincy declaration for the Oniba of Iba chieftaincy stool. The parties were agreeable to this golden advice and directive from the bench and had been meeting on the issue of a chieftaincy declaration for the Oniba of Iba chieftaincy stool.
“A meeting on the said issue as directed by the court was still held by the parties on December 4, 2020, at Citiheight Hotel, Ikeja, but on December 7, 2020, our clients were stunned, to say the least, when they became aware of the alleged installation of Alhaji Suleiman Adeshina as the new Oniba of Iba despite the situations captioned above.
“With respect to your office, we view the alleged installation as highly contemptuous, unlawful and illegal though we are wont to believe that same was carried out without your Excellency’s approval. We are, therefore, appalled and bewildered by this action and see it as a flagrant disregard of the rule of law.”
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