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 Daily Independent Online.
* Monday, July 26, 2004.
Lagos Ruling
House backs suit against Oba Akiolu
By Alex Oni,
Correspondent, Lagos
The stage appears
set for a protracted legal battle on Lagos Obaship as the Akinsemoyin
Ruling House has given its blessing to the suit filed against the
selection and installation of Oba Rilwan Akiolu I.
There are two ruling houses in
Lagos, Akinsemoyin and Ologunkutere. Oba Akiolu is from Ologunkutere house.
In a statement by Prince
Ayinla Rasak Akinlusi, General Secretary of Akinsemoyin Ruling House, on
behalf of the entire family, he stated that “We are still in court to
obtain justice in the fundamental issues in view of the report of the
judicial Tribunals of Chief V.O. Solanke (1975) and Justice J.O. Kassim
(1978) into the declaration of Obaship of Lagos, which recommendations
were accepted by Lagos State government that ‘There should be two ruling Houses in Lagos,
namely: Akinsemoyin ruling
House and Erelu Kuti ruling House (also known as Ologunkutere Ruling House)
and now the present Ruling House (in 1978) is Erelu Kuti and the next
ruling House should be Akinsemoyin Ruling House.”
The release further stated,
“Most of the princes and princesses of the various branches of the two
Lagos Ruling Houses gave evidence before the said tribunals including
Oba-elect, Prince Rilwan Akiolu, who even sought, unsuccessfully to
belong to the Akinsemoyin Ruling House.
The Akinsemoyin Ruling House
said because of its royal dignity and tradition, it felt reluctant to
make public statements in connection with the suit on Obaship of Lagos
“between our Prince, Dr. Rasheed A. Modile and Prince Sammy A. Adebiyi as
plaintiffs and the Governor of Lagos State, Prince Rilwan B. Akiolu
(Oba-elect) and others as defendants.”
However, the family said in
view of the numerous enquiries and entreaties from well-meaning Lagos
indigenes and numerous friends and well-wishers, it became necessary to
inform the general public that “the recent judgement in favour of
Oba-elect at the Court of Appeal in Lagos, is in respect of the
plaintiffs’ application for an order of interlocutory injunction
restraining the Lagos State government from gazetting the purported
appointment/approval of the Oba-elect or participating in his crowning or
presentation of staff of office to him, and also restraining him from
continuing to present himself for coronation or parading himself as Oba
of Lagos.”
The ruling house said it has
advised its princes who were plaintiffs in the suit to ignore the
undignifying personal abuses of their persons as reported recently in the
media as “Omo Balufons do not trade in public abuses but in regal
grandeurs.”
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