Oba Ghandi Faces Supreme Court Battle As Ogbomoso Prince Challenges Throne

Kabir Olaoye, the prince of Ogbomoso, is going to the Supreme Court to contest the Court of Appeal’s ruling from last Tuesday that upheld Oba Ghandi Olaoye’s appointment as Ogbomoso’s Soun.

In a 2022 lawsuit with the case number HOG/27/2022, Kabir contested the selection and nomination of Prince Olaoye as the Soun-elect, pointing to a number of violations of the Soun Chieftaincy Declaration’s terms.

Despite the lawsuit, Olaoye was installed by the kingmakers in September 2023 after Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed his nomination.

But in October 2023, the installation took a sharp turn when Oba Olaoye was dismissed as the Soun of Ogbomosoland by the Oyo State High Court in Ogbomoso.

However, the Oyo State government acted quickly and secured an injunction to prevent the judgment’s enforcement, which made it possible for Oba Olaoye to be crowned in December 2023.

Additionally, the state administration appealed the Ogbomoso court’s ruling.

The Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, upheld Oba Olaoye as the Soun and reversed the Ogbomoso court’s decision in its ruling last Tuesday.

Prince Kabir, however, stated in an interview with The Punch on Sunday that he had told his attorneys to push the issue all the way to the Supreme Court since he was unhappy with the appellate court’s decision.

“I am not satisfied with the appeals court’s decision,” he stated. Until we regain our mandate through the Supreme Court, we will not give up. We’re not going to give up. We categorically disagree with the ruling rendered by the Ibadan appeal court.

“The Supreme Court will hear our case. The appeals court’s decision is not one with which we concur. We are thus going to the Supreme Court because of this.