Crisis looms in Ondo community over traditional stool

CRISIS looms in Mahin kingdom, in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, over the traditional stool of the town as one of the ruling houses was prevented from presenting a contestant to the throne of the community.

The traditional stool which became vacant following the death of Amapetu of Mahin, Oba Lawrence Omowole who joined his ancestors last year, has been tearing royal houses apart in the community.

The Osuma Royal House has, however, dragged the kingmakers, the state Governor of the State, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice before a law court, halting the presentation of any princes to the throne.

The Royal House also filed an interlocutory order before the law court to prevent the installation of any of the princes as a successor to the late Omowole.

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Apart from this,  they also wrote a letter to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to stop any installation processes until the court determines the status of the Osuma Royal lineage.

In the suit filed by the Royal Lineage through their Counsel, Mr Olusola Oke, the family sought “a declaration that the exclusion of the Claimants’ family from the list of the family entitled to present candidates to the kingmakers from the Alagwe Ruling House if unfair, unlawful, discriminatory without any justification.”

Claimants in the suits which was filled by Chief Thompson Adepiti, Yemi Saanumi, Chief Omolebi Adepiti and Folorunso Obebe has Chief Godwin Balogun, Prince Omomowo Adesola, Chiefs Roju Malumi, Arowojolu Dele, Felix Okunnuwa, Governor of the state, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice as defendants.

The Royal Lineage prayed the court for “a declaration that the Claimant, being descendants of Alagwe Ruling House cannot be excluded and or prevented by the defendants from presenting candidates to the kingmakers of Amapetu of Mahin Chieftaincy stool.

They also prayed “for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves or by their agents, assigns, members, officers, officials and or any other person acting for or through them from further excluding the Claimants Family from presenting candidates to the throne of Amapetu of Mahin Kingdom.”

The family, in a letter of complaint to governor Akeredolu, alleged the kingmakers of acting against the order of the court by planning to go ahead with the installation processes despite the pendency of the suit in a law court.

The family said “an authority purportedly given to the authorities of the Ilje Local Government and Dr Roju Malumi’s family by a learned-silk Governor to go on with the selection process of the Amapetu in the instance case, while there are pending litigations on the same subject matter before courts of competent jurisdiction only amounts to a gross affront to our age-long and respected judicial process and obviously, an attack on the rule of law.”

The Osuma family however,  appealed to the governor to use his office to intervene in the matter and stop all the process already put in place in order to prevent breakdown of law and order in the coastal community.