Justice K. A. Adedokun of an Oyo State High Court siting in Ibadan has restrained Oyo State Government from nominating and installing a parallel Aresaadu, while Oba Abraham Adeyeye Oyerinde, the Aresaadu of Iresaadu in Surulere Local Government Area of the state, still validly occupies the throne.

In Suit No. HOI/6/2026, Adedokun granted prayers of the applicant, Oba Oyerinde, after listening to arguments of his lawyer, Mr. S.T.A. Raji.

The judge granted the injunction and restrained Oyo State Government, Emiolu Ruling House and the kingmakers from nominating, appointing or approving any candidate for the Aresaadu of Iresaadu Chieftaincy or taking any step in that regard pending the hearing and final determination of the Motion on Notice.

The court further held inter alia that: “Having read through the application and the two affidavits in support of same as well as Exhibits A, A1, B, C & D attached to same, it was established that the right of the applicant is under threat and same needed to be protected by this honourable court.

“The circumstance of this case makes it one of the deserving instances when an interim order of this honourable court should be granted. Consequently, I found merit in the application and same is accordingly granted as prayed.”

Oba Oyerinde was forced to approach the court yet again to obtain the fresh order, when the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matter failed to attend to all his letters, including the previous court orders and was hell-bent on proceeding with the illegal nomination process.

The Certified True Copy (CTC) of the fresh court order was made available on Monday by Oba Oyerinde in addition to other relevant chieftaincy documents and subsisting court judgments.

Recall that the monarch had earlier appealed to the government through the acting governor on September 6, Chief Adebayo Lawal, and Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently stop Mr Ademola Ojo, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, from illegally appointing a parallel Aresaadu of Iresaadu in flagrant disobedience of subsisting court orders.

Oba Oyerinde’s appeal was contained in a statement he personally signed and made available to reporters concerning his travail regarding the Aresaadu throne since 2019.

He noted with sadness that Ojo, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, had in September 2025 and September 2026 written two letters to the chairman of Surulere Local Government to commence the process of nominating a parallel Aresaadu premised on the falsehood that a court judgment had nullified his appointment as the substantive Aresaadu.

Oyerinde, therefore, called on the Governor to direct the immediate stoppage of the meetings already commenced by the Chairman of Surulere Local Government and the Emiolu Ruling House to nominate a fresh candidate for the throne of Aresaadu, which has not been declared vacant by any court of competent jurisdiction.

“Your Excellency Sir, it is of extreme importance and urgency to again call your attention to a disturbing matter as it relates to the injustice meted out to me as Aresaadu of Iresaadu, HRM Oba Abraham Olafimihan Adeyeye Oyerinde by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters headed by Ademola Ojo.

The ministry has just issued a fresh letter in September 2026 to the Chairman of Surulere Local Government directing him to instruct Emiolu Ruling House to nominate a candidate for appointment as a parallel Aresaadu while I am still on the throne.

“Not only that the Court of Appeal (in Appeal No CA/1/291/2002) had ruled that it is not the turn of Emiolu Ruling House to present candidate for the throne, but also the subsequent suit (Suit No HOI/4/2019) filed by Emiolu Ruling House to challenge my appointment has since been dismissed without any appeal on it.

“I had made an earlier appeal in an open letter published in Nigerian Tribune of October 28, 2025 in this regard when the ministry issued a similar letter to the Chairman of Surulere Local Government sometime in September 2025 to initiate the process of appointing a parallel Aresaadu from Osunbiyi Ruling House, the process that had been concluded, supervised and documented by government officials more than seven years ago, which culminated in the approval by former Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Oba Oyerinde highlights the sequence of events from the time he was appointed Aresaadu to the current status in a numbered paragraphs, as he said, in order to assist the governor in taking an informed decision.

He said: “The stool became vacant after the death of Prince Jimoh Oloyede in December 2018. Both ruling houses made representations to government regarding which of them should produce the Oba as directed by the Court of Appeal judgment in Appeal No CA/1/291/2002. Government, after examining the Court of Appeal judgment agreed that it is still the turn of Osunbiyi Ruling House.

“I, Oba Oyerinde was nominated by Osunbiyi Ruling House. My nomination was approved by the kingmakers appointed by the government. The appointment of Oba Oyerinde was approved by the governor and I was given the instrument of office in May 2019. The Certified True Copy (CTC) of Letter of Appointment dated 24th May 2019 is attached as Annexure A and Instrument of Office dated same day as Annexure B.

“Emiolu went to court seeking reliefs that it was their turn to produce a candidate to fill the then vacant throne of Aresaadu of Iresaadu in Suit No HOI/4/2019. The suit was decided by the High Court, Orile-Igbon and dismissed. The CTC of the judgement delivered on 24th March 2023 is attached as Annexure C.

“The appeal against the High Court judgment was struck out upon being withdrawn by Emiolu Ruling House. The CTC of the withdrawal dated 2nd May 2024 is herewith attached as Annexure D. Government failed to accord me the necessary recognition due to the influence of a member of Emiolu Ruling House in its Exco. – Mr. Olasunkanmi Olaleye.

“Because of the withholding of recognition by government, I filed a suit against government to compel government to accord me the recognition – Suit No. HOI/19/2020. Judgment was delivered by the court directing government to recognise me as the substantive Aresaadu and to release my entitlements to me. The CTC of Court judgement delivered on 2nd February 2021 is attached as Annexure E.

“Government refused to obey court judgment despite absence of any appeal. This attitude of government emboldened the Emiolu Ruling House to proceed to court a second time asking court to declare that, notwithstanding all that has transpired above, the Osunbiyi Ruling House has refused to nominate any candidate for the throne as directed by government about seven years ago despite being aware that an Oba has been appointed- Suit No. HOI/19/2024.

“The suit is yet to be determined. Also, the kingmakers went to court to demand that Osunbiyi Ruling House be ordered to present their nominated candidate to them all over again – Suit No. HOI/7/2024. The suit is still in court. Members of the Osunbiyi Ruling House who contested and lost at the nomination exercise equally went to court to challenge my appointment- Suit No. HOI/8/2024. The suit is yet to be determined.

“The Ministry of Justice after reviewing the record and the court judgments had issued several legal advice to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to obey the court judgments and recognise me as Aresaadu but the commissioner failed to accede to the advice – CTC of one of the legal Advices dated 11th January, 2024 is attached as Annexure F.

“Again, Oba Oyerinde went back to the very court that gave judgment directing government to accord him recognition to ask that the judgment be obeyed by filing a contempt proceeding against the affected government officials who are involved or aiding and abetting disobedience of court order in the exercise of a fresh nomination process. The contempt proceedings is still pending and yet to be determined – Copies of contempt proceedings filed on 17th October, 2025 is attached as Annexure G.

“The Oyo State High Court order of Injunction restraining the respondents from nominating or appointing any candidate for Aresaadu Chieftaincy dated 11th September 2026 in Suit No. HOI/6/2026 is attached as Annexure H.

“In total disobedience to all subsisting judgments of court, and while this matter is still a subject of litigation before the courts, Surulere Local Government set in motion the process of appointment of a parallel Aresaadu of Iresaadu to fill a non-existent vacancy.”

The monarch consequently appealed to the acting governor to urgently direct the withdrawal of the letters issued by the commissioner and in addition direct the stoppage of any meeting organised by the Chairman of Surulere Local Government and Emiolu Ruling House to nominate a fresh candidate for the throne of Aresaadu, which has not been declared vacant by any court of competent jurisdiction.

The monarch also asked the government to nullify the entire process of any fresh nomination to the non-vacant Aresaadu chieftaincy stool, being an absolute illegality and flagrant disobedience to the subsisting court orders and to sanction any erring government official found culpable. (The Nation)