By Lukman Olabiyi
Prince Akeem Ajasa, one of the litigants in the suit challenging the installation of Oba Gbolahan Lawal as the Oniru of Iru land, in June 2020, has expressed worry over what he described as snail pace of the case pending before Justice Safari J.
In December 2019, Ajasa, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), was allegedly chosen as the Oniru-elect to succeed the late Oba Abiodun Oniru, who died on September 23, 2019, at the age of 82.
However, Ajasa’s declaration as the Oniru-elect suffered a major setback when the entire Omowunmi Abisogun ruling family house rejected his announcement, saying that his branch, the Ewunmi branch, and other branches of Abisogun ruling house were strangers and not of the royal lineage.
The Omowunmi branch of Abisogun ruling house proceeded to institute a suit through Afusatu Kabiawu and Suraju Durosimi and one other (as representatives of the Abisogun ruling house, Omowunmi Abisogun Oniru chieftaincy family.
In the case filed on 31/12/2019, with suit No: LD/6681GCMW/2020, Kabiawu claimed that Omowunmi Abisogun Oniru was the only branch of the Abisogun ruling house of the Iru royal family. He claimed in a declaration that the succession to the Oniru chieftaincy family is hereditary and Abisogun ruling house was next to nominate a candidate. But, amid the disagreement, the race to fill the vacant stool took a new twist by May 2020, when the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, installed Prince Gbolahan Lawal, also from Ewunmi sub-branch of Abisogun ruling house, a former commissioner in Lagos state.
Lawal was consequently sworn in on June 8, 2020, amid lingering disagreement and a court order challenging the stool, and a court relief, seeking a restrictive injunction against the state government.
Ajasa, through his lawyers, proceeded to file a statement of defence dated December 1, 2020, which was, thereafter regularised by the court on December 9.
Ajasa also filed a motion, dated December 18, seeking to join former governor of the state, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as Oba Lawal as parties to the suit, as defendants to the counterclaim earlier raised in the defence. The said motion was strictly resisted by Lawal, through his counsel, Chief Ayorinde, SAN. But 18 months later, the motion is still pending and has not been heard.
Ajasa’s lawyers again filed a motion dated February 3, 2021. The motion sought several prayers including; the declaration that the stool was vacant at a point in time when the matter was instituted; that the state government proceeded to install Lawal, while the suit was pending and sub-judice, and that the installation be set aside and the vacancy of the stool be maintained.
The court had on April 7, 2022 heard arguments on whether it could suspend the hearing of the preliminary objection filed on March 5, 2020 by the state government until after the hearing of the substantive case and adjourned the matter till 30/06/2022 for ruling.
But according to Ajasa’s lawyer, Ishola Agboola, (“on June 30, 2022, when parties reconvened in court to hear the ruling, they were informed that a further date for the ruling was not ready and that a further date for the delivery of the ruling would be communicated.”
Meanwhile, recently, Kabiawu declared her intention to withdraw the suit against the monarch during their reconciliation meeting.