Hope for a ‘family-affair’ settlement of the obas crisis in Ibadan was dashed on Thursday as the Appeal Court has ordered that the case be legally scrutinised.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan refused to accede to the out of court settlement filed by the Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, in the Olubadan chieftaincy case involving the controversial coronation of 21 kings by the immediate past Governor Abiola Ajimobi .
Instead, the appellate court in its judgment ordered that the case be remitted back to the High Court for trial before another judge .
According to ‘The Nation’, the appeal was filed by the immediate past governor of Oyo State against the Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rasidi Ladoja and the Chairman of the Olubadan Chieftancy Review Panel, Justice Akintunde Boade (retd) as respondents.
Both the Olubadan and the Osi Olubadan , Senator Rashidi Ladoja separately dragged the former governor Abiola Ajimobi , the state government and the 21 new kings to the state High Court .
While the lower court had delivered judgment in the case filed by Senator Ladoja, it has not done so in the litigation instituted by the Olubadan , Obama Saliu Adetunji.
Governor Makinde who inherited the matter had last Tuesday opted for an out-of-court settlement to restore peace, unity and good relationships between the Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji and his estranged chiefs.
Ladoja had earlier secured the judgement of the state High Court which ruled that all the processes that led to the crowing and installation of more kings in Ibadan as illegal, null, void and of no effect.
Following moves by Makinde to reconcile the Olubadan-In-Council via a terms of settlement, the State Attorney-General, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo informed the appellate court of the progress made on the matter.
He subsequently filed an application to settle the case out of court.
However, the appellate court, in its judgement delivered by Justice Abubakar Ma’ud Talba, said that the matter had been fixed for judgement, saying that the court allow the interlocutory appeal of the appellants.
