Ogun High Court Reinstates 75 Obas Installed By Amosun
Governor Dapo Abiodun’s attempts to demote the 75 Obas appointed by former Governor Ibikunle Amosun were thwarted when the Ogun State High Court upheld their coronet Oba appointments.
According to reports, at the end of his presidency, Amosun promoted 75 local chiefs known as Baales to coronet Obas.
However, shortly after his inauguration, Gov. Abiodun formed a commission to investigate the selection, promotion, and installation of the Obas, which was chaired by the Olu and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle.
The committee suggested that the traditional rulers’ advancement from Baale to Oba be rescinded when it submitted its findings.
As a result, Gov. Abiodun announced the Obas’ demotion in February 2020, as recommended by the committee chaired by Oba Olugbenle.
The 75 Obas were not content and sued the governor and his government, requesting that the court overturn their claimed relegation on the grounds that Abiodun lacked such authority.
The Monarchs stated that “the Executive Council of the Government of Ogun State can only suspend and depose an erring Oba,” citing Section 30 Sub–Sections (1) and (2) of the Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2006, and that their demotion was unconstitutional.
Justice Abiodun Akinyemi, who delivered the verdict on Tuesday, validated the coronet Obas’ installation, appointment, and elevation, and declared their removal to be unconstitutional, null, and invalid.
The Olugbenle-led committee, according to Akinyemi, did not give the traditional rulers a fair hearing, and the Abiodun “government neglected to express the sack of the traditional rulers to them through the appropriate individual or authority.”
He ordered the state government to pay the Obas their entitlements and remunerations with immediate effect, starting from the time of their installation.
