DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS can exclusively report that the Eruwa kingmakers have picked Samuel Adegbola as the Eleruwa-elect.
Adegbola, a customs officer, who was sacked by the Supreme Court 6 years ago, had reigned for 21 years and enjoyed the love of his people.
Many notable indigenes who spoke to DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS on Friday confided that the kingmakers unanimously settled for Adegbola out of the 18 princes who showed interest. The meeting where Adegbola was picked lasted two hours.
Though this newspaper cannot confirm whether or not the incumbent administration in the state influenced the decision, it was learnt that the leaders of the town, especially those of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, waded in.
It was also revealed that the kingmakers kept it under wraps before sending it to the governor for fear of what may happen.
How Adegbola was dethroned…
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS had reported in November 2019 how the Supreme Court dethroned Adegbola as Eleruwa.
A five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Muhammad Dattijo dismissed the appeal by Adegbola and six others.
Adegbola had appealed against the concurrent decisions of the Oyo State High Court and the Court of Appeal which had both ruled against them over the chieftaincy tussle.
In upholding the decisions of the two lower courts, the apex court resolved all the five issues raised in the appeal against the appellants.
The panel unanimously held that the appeal lacked merit and substance.
Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, now Chief Justice of Nigeria, who read the lead judgment said the authorities cited by the plaintiffs/appellants, in their appeal had no bearing on their case.
Then of Ibadan division of the Oyo State High Court, Justice Muktar Abimbola, who later became Chief Justice, had in 2011 ordered Adegbola’s removal, declaring the process of his ascendancy to the Eruwa throne illegal, null and void.
This followed a suit instituted by the Laribikusi Ruling House of Eruwa, challenging Adegbola’s enthronement.
The judge had held that Adegbola was not a member of Laribikusi, one of the town’s two ruling houses, whose turn it was to produce the successor after his predecessor Oba Bolanle Olaniyan, joined his ancestor in 1994. Again, two years after Abimbola’s judgement, in 2013, and 15-year after he ascended the throne, Adegbola also lost his bid to retain power at the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS was not however sure whether Adegbola claimed the same ruling house as there are two royal lineages— Akalako (female) and Laribikusi (male) in the town as codified in the Chieftaincy Declaration of 1958.
The Declaration had provided for rotation between the two ruling houses, especially with the installation of Oba Solomon Olanrewaju (Laribikusi II) in 1960 and succession by Oba Bolanle Olaniyan (Gbajumola II) from Akalako in 1972.
The installation of Adegbola, said to be from Akalako, had been resisted thereafter as members of the Laribikusi, whose turn it was went to court.
The monarch and six others had brought a suit against Mr James Olatunde Idowu and four others following a judgment delivered by Abimbola of the State High Court on January 26, 2011, that the current Eleruwa was wrongly picked for the throne.
His removal by an Oyo State High Court on the grounds that his selection, nomination and approval by the State Government were irregular, null and void, had earlier been affirmed by the Federal High Court.
Adegbola had dismissed the appeal court judgment by saying, “There is no cause for alarm as my counsel are finalising the process of appeal at the Supreme Court.”
He said the case being a civil matter can still be taken up to Supreme Court, adding that he was ready to enforce to the fullest, his rights under the provision of law.
