The battle between the sacked 75 coronet traditional rulers and the Ogun State government still rages on, more than one year after a judgement by State High Court reversing their sack. The monarchs had won the legal battle which lasted for two years, but their fate has been left hanging by Governor Dapo Abiodun who has refused to obey the court judgement. Former Governor Ibikunle Amosun had approved the promotion of the monarchs from Baales (village heads) to coronet wearing Obas in 2019 at the twilight of his administration. But, the celebration of the monarchs was shortlived as Governor Abiodun, upon assumption of office reversed their appointment. The Governor set up a Chieftaincy Review Committee, headed by the Olu of Ilaro and the paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle to review the last minute appointment of the traditional rulers. The committee, while submitting its report in August, 2019, faulted the process of the chiefs’ elevation and recommended the reversal of the appointment.

The governor quashed the traditional rulers’ appointment in line with the Committee’s recommendations. The governor while justifying the sack of the monarchs, said their appointment was “political and alien to Yoruba kingship stool”. He argued that their sack was necessary to prevent the traditional institution from decadence, “as the institution should be respected at all times”. Abiodun said, the appointment of the monarchs could bring embarrassment to traditional institution and the State at large, if not reversed. The governor insisted that, the appointment of the monarchs was revoked because due processes in installing traditional rulers were discarded, thereby ran foul of the standard in crowning Obas in the State. He assured that those who have genuine cases among the monarchs would be allowed to start the process again and be reinstated, if qualified. “They (the sacked monarchs) know that there are process and procedures. Let them start the process again, if they are qualified, they will be given the Oba’s stool”, he said.

Criteria aggregation

Abiodun told the traditional rulers that a review committee had been set up to look into the matter with the aim of authenticating the deserving ones among them. He said: “Some of them who are really deserving of being elevated to wear beaded crowns would be cleared to do so”.

Legal battle

In a bid to reclaim their crowns, the aggrieved monarchs dragged Governor Abiodun, the State Government, the State House of Assembly, the Attorney General and the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs and Local Government to the an Ogun State High Court to seek redress. In the suit tagged, AB/183/2020, filed by Olu of Orile Kemta, Oba Adetokunbo Tejuosho and Olu of Paata Abiodun, Oba Olufemi Martins on behalf of the 75 Obas, the monarchs sought their reinstatement and payment of their entitlements. Counsel to the monarchs, Olumide Oniyire filed an interlocutory injunction, which sought to restrain the State government from forcefully injecting 75 coronet Obas from their palace. Oniyire told the court that there the State government had developed hostility towards the claimants by intimidating and assaulting them from parading themselves as monarchs. He said, “The claimants were sacked and despite the fact that the case is still in court, the defendant have been harassing, intimidating and embarrassing the claimants at their various communities where they reign”.

Judgement delivered

After a long battle, Justice Abiodun Akinyemi in his judgement declared the removal of the Obas, null and void. The Governor has tied the reinstatement of the monarchs to winning his re-election bid. New Telegraph reliably gathered that, Governor Abiodun told the monarchs to deliver their communities for him at the polls or kiss their crowns good bye. One of the monarchs who spoke to New Telegraph under the condition of anonymity said, “We are currently in a dilemma, the Governor as asked us to work for his re-election in a bid to reclaim our appointment. “But, you know monarchs are supposed to be neutral in politics. Our role is to only advise politicians and pray for them if need be. “Our position to the Governor is that no condition should be attached to our reinstatement, we cannot be used to settle political scores. “Besides, we have secured a court judgement against the State government, so placing us under condition is totally wrong and against the law. “We have been advised to seek political solution and we told the Governor clearly that, the crown is our legitimate right and there should be no condition attached to it. This is our position. “Although, some of us are of the opinion that, it will good for the Governor to reinstate us before his election as this will placate our people and maybe favour him at the polls, but we don’t know which one the Governor will do.”

Obey court judgement

The monarchs have appealed to the Governor to obey the court judgement which validated their appointment. They described the Governor’s refusal to obey the judgement as the “height of government indiscipline, lawlessness and unprecedented desecration of the temple of justice”.

The Obas lamented that, one year after the judgement, the government had refused to obey the court by reinstating them.

Monarchs react

Speaking through their Counsel, Olumide Oniyire, the monarchs, said it was unfortunate that after several efforts to ensure that the judgement is obeyyed, the governor had been playing hide and seek with their lives. Oniyire said, “The coronets have done everything possible to ensure that there is peace, it is our belief that the government of Ogun State which itself is a product of the rule of law and then we have judgement here and we have done everything possible to get the government to comply, the government refused to comply. “The government is just riding roughshod on these coronets and government has remain highly overbearing on these coronets. “Some of the coronets, numbering at least five have died in the course of the struggle for enforcement of rights and benefits associated to their appointments as coronets, but the Ogun State Government has remained highly insensitive, and insensate to the plights of the coronets who are judgment creditors having regards to the Ogun State High Court Judgment.

No govt resolution

“The government has not reached out to the coronets and what is government is planning to do which is to cause a review is like sitting on appeal on judgement that is against the government. “Government has no such powers, where the rule of law fails, there will be anarchy, there will be problem, there will be crisis, government cannot review anything.

The High Court Judge that gave the judgement was not wrong and pending when it is upturn on appeal, the judgement must be obeyed. “The government has failed to obey the judgement, we have put a lot of efforts in trying to encourage the government to obey the judgement.

We have written letters, we have met with the chairman of the state traditional council, we have written several letters to the ministry of chieftaincy affairs and made efforts to reach out the government. “Our next line of action is to consider bringing a committal proceedings against the government, particularly the third defendant in the action we won and that is the permanent secretary, ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs. He was sued in that action, he never put up any appearance, he never participated in any of the proceedings, he actually shunned the proceedings, he is tbe arrowhead of disobedience of the judgement we obtained.”