Seyi Makinde, Oyo State Governor, threatened to fight back with the instrument of office if various cases instituted against the enthronement of the new Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, were not withdrawn from the courts.
The stool became a subject of legal tussle when one of the contestants to the throne, Prince Kabir Olaoye, approached the court, challenging Oba Olaoye’s emergence and the process that brought him to power.
On October 25, an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ogbomoso nullified the selection process that produced Ghandi as the new Soun and ordered the conduct of a fresh process.
However, the Oyo State Government and the new Soun appealed the judgement and also obtained an order for a stay of execution pending the outcome of the appeal.
On Tuesday, Governor Makinde, while presenting the new Soun with the staff of office at Ogbomoso township stadium, asked that all lawsuits challenging his emergence be withdrawn.
The governor said, “By now, we should put behind us the issue of litigation. I hope that before the end of next week, all the cases pending at various courts on the enthronement of Soun of Ogbomoso land will be withdrawn.
“However, if the litigants fail to heed the calls, I will not hesitate to use the instrument of office to fight back. I pray that the scenario that played out in one of the communities in this state when a suit lingered for 20 years and the king was subsequently removed from the throne will not happen in Ogbomoso.
“We pray that such things will not happen in Ogbomoso land. The case was of no benefit to the people, including the litigants. So, we pray that such will not happen in Ogbomoso.”
In his acceptance speech, Oba Olaoye said, “My service is premised on a clear vision. I am very aware of the words that the wisest of kings recorded for us in the book of Proverbs: that without a vision, the people perish.
“My vision for a prosperous and peaceful Ogbomoso land rests on a detailed 25-year plan to be unveiled in the coming months. I promise to serve this vision with all I have: the relationships I have built over the years here in Nigeria and abroad, the experience I have garnered from running several successful businesses, and the skills I have gained from more than 30 years of pastoring churches and other pastors.
“As I have said on several occasions, I have stopped being a church pastor and now become the shepherd of a people. I intend to be a king to serve you all, irrespective of religion, gender, or other things that may differentiate us. The strength of our kingdom lies not only in the crown I wear but also in the bonds that bind us together: the bonds of loyalty, respect, and mutual understanding. Sons and daughters who live and work outside Ogbomoso land, I would like to appeal to you to turn your attention to our homeland.”
The monarch further charged other contestants to join hands with him to move the ancient town forward.
Oba Olaoye added, “I am the chosen one that God has given the stool of Soun, and I appeal to you all to please join hands with me to further positively project the good name of the Olaoye family for the benefit of the Ogbomoso land and humanity in general.”
Dignitaries at the ceremony included the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke; the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III; the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Lekan Balogun; the immediate past Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo; and the former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, among others.
