A Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has affirmed the selection and installation of Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye as the Soun of Ogbomoso.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, overturned an earlier judgment by an Oyo State High Court, which had nullified Olaoye’s appointment.
Ogbomoso, the second-largest city in Oyo State, had been embroiled in a legal battle over the throne. The High Court ruling, delivered on October 25, 2023, by Justice K.A. Adedokun, was based on a suit filed by Prince Kabir Olaoye, a contender for the stool.
Prince Kabir had argued that the selection process violated the provisions of the Soun Chieftaincy Declaration of 1958. The High Court had ruled that the process was marred by irregularities, leading to the annulment of Olaoye’s appointment.
However, in its judgment, the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Yargata Nimpar, ruled in favor of Oba Olaoye, resolving all ten grounds of appeal in his favor.
This ruling reaffirms Oba Olaoye’s legitimacy as the rightful Soun of Ogbomoso, settling the legal dispute surrounding his ascension to the throne.