Kwara Govt, kingmakers dragged to Court over Oludofian Chieftaincy Stool
By Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Six months after the demise of the Oludofian of Idofian, Oba Zubairu Oyesoro, in Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state, who ruled the community for about 55 years, the head of Mafoluku Royal House in the town, Prince Adebayo Okeowo, has dragged the Kwara state Government and the community’s Kingmakers to Court.
Okeowo is challenging the Kwara State Government and the community’s kingmakers before Justice Hamed Gegele of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, claiming that the process by which the successor of the late Oba Oyesoro was chosen was faulty and wrong.
Okeowo in the suit filed by Barrister Mohammed Adeniyi on behalf of the Mafoluku Royal House, Idofian, said the decision of the kingmakers, Ifelodun local government and the Kwara state Government not to consider the candidate from Mafoluku Royal House in the selection process was wrong.
Joined in the suit as co-defendants are Chief Abdul-Rahim Odofin, head of Idofian kingmakers and Oludofian in Council, Ifelodun local government Traditional Council headed by the Elese of Igbaja, Oba Abdulraheem Arepo, Chairman of Ifelodun local government, Prince Jamiu Adedamola, Oludofian-elect and Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq.
He prayed the Court to declare that the purported election of Prince Adedamola as the Oludofian-elect by the kingmakers without considering the candidature of Prince Sulaiman Oyewole, who was the candidate of Mafoluku family, was wrong, illegal, an abuse of privilege and against the tradition of the people of Idofian.
According to the suit, it was wrong that the candidature of Sulaiman Oyewole who was the choice of Mafoluku Royal House was not considered by the defendants despite that he complied with the laid down procedures for the stool.
He also prayed the Court to compel Chief Odofin who is the head of the Kingmakers to abide by the history and tradition of the people of Idofian on ascension to the throne that it is the turn of Mafoluku Royal House to ascend the throne and no other family in the town is so entitled.
Okeowo also prayed the Court to make an order nullifying the entire process that led to the selection of Adedamola as the Oludofian-elect having been fraught with bias, disenfranchisement and lack of recourse to the history and tradition of Idofian people.
In addition, he prayed for an order of the Court directing the Ifelodun Traditional Council and the local government as well as the state government not to accept the nomination of Adedamola as the Oludofian elect.