The absence of the presiding judge on Thursday stalled the hearing in the suit filed by nine royal families, seeking their inclusion in the selection process of the new Alaafin of Oyo.
The vacant Alaafin stool, which became available following the passing of Oba Lamidi Atanda Olayiwola Adeyemi in April 2022 at the age of 83, has prompted the selection process for the 46th Alaafin of Oyo. However, nine out of the 11 royal families from the Abiodun Atiba dynasty have raised concerns about the exclusion of their kinsmen from the selection process.
The nine families argue that it is unjust to permit only two families, namely Alowolodu and Agunloye, to produce the Alaafin of Oyo. To address this, three members of the nine families, collectively referred to as the Atiba 9, have filed a lawsuit at the Oyo State High Court in Oyo town.
Their aim is to secure an order compelling the state government to review the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration and include the nine royal families. They base their argument on a 1976 State Executive Council Resolution, which deemed the declaration defective for excluding the nine families.
In their lawsuit, the families request an order to void and render the declaration invalid for the selection of a new Alaafin. However, due to the absence of the presiding judge, the hearing was postponed. The court has now scheduled November 28 as the new hearing date, where the arguments and merits of the case will be further examined.
