An Osun State High Court sitting in Modakeke on Thursday adjourned the hearing into Modakeke chieftaincy tussle to March 17, 2020.
Five members of different royal families, namely Prince Oyediran Ige, Prince Olawale Basiru, Prince Akinsanya Azeez, Prince Ajani Suleiman and Prince Adedokun Adegboye who are the plaintiffs had in 2018 dragged Osun State government to court over the selection process of the current Ogunsua of Modakeke, Oba Moses Oladejo Oyediran.
Others joined in the suit as co-defendants include the Balogun ruling house, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Chief Moses Oladejo, President, Modakeke Progressives Union, Mr Rufus Odegbemi and the Osun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.
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When the matter came up before the court, counsel to the plaintiff, Barrister Ayodele Olawoye said: “application for the suit had already been moved on the 3rd of July, 2019 before Justice Afolabi.”
In his submission counsel to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants, Barrister Muyiwa Ogunleye, who is also the Principal State Counsel argued that “we have two applications and one of it is dated 12th May 2019. We are ready to move the application.
He added that “we are not opposing the application by the counsel to the plaintiffs.
Similarly, counsel to the 5th and 7th defendants, Barrister Goke Akinrotimi who announced his appearance for his clients did not oppose the applications moved by Barrister Ayodele Olawoye and Barrister Muyiwa Ogunleye.
However, the presiding Justice L.A Adegoke adjourned hearing into the suit to March 17, 2020.
Speaking after the court session, counsel to the plaintiffs, Barrister Ayodele Olawoye said “today all the parties in the suit regularised our positions by moving pending applications. Some these processes were filed out of time and the procedure is that we have to regularise it. We sought the leave of the court.”
He explained that “on our part, before now we had an application for interlocutory injunction. Looking at the time the matter had been filed, the court held that the interlocutory injunction would be wasting more time. The judge said why are we talking of interlocutory injunction when we have the substantive suit. Why can’t we go into the hearing of the main matter.”
“The point is that if we move the application for the interlocutory injunction today, that means the hearing of the main suit will take several months. The judge suggested that we should go to the main suit because the matter had been filed since 2018. We are even interested in the accelerated hearing of this matter”, Olawoye remarked.
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