A former governor of Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, and other Ibadan kingmakers, have officially nominated the Otun Olubadan, Senator Lekan Balogun, as the new Olubadan of Ibadan to Oyo State Government.
The kingmakers were said to have held a meeting in Ibadan on Thursday where they nominated Balogun to succeed Oba Saliu Adetunji, who died on January 2 at age 93.
It was gathered that a senior government official who represented the state government was present at the meeting.
Ladoja, who is the Osi-Olubadan, confirmed the nomination of Balogun as the new Olubadan to our correspondent on the telephone on Thursday.
He said, “We, the kingmakers, held a meeting in Ibadan and nominated the Otun Olubadan to be the new Olubadan.”
The development came following the dismissal of the suit instituted by Balogun and other high vhiefs against the consent judgment.
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Governor Seyi Makinde had asked the chiefs to withdraw the case from court and their counsel applied to withdraw it on Tuesday but Justice Munta Abimbola after this, dismissed the case.
The elevation of some of the high chiefs to the position of oba and the court case triggered controversies which stalled the selection of a new Olubadan following the death of Oba Adetunji.
But the judge said on Tuesday that the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957 remained unchanged with the dismissal of the suit.
The judge had said, “Now, the suit had been applied to be withdrawn, I will not hesitate to grant the withdrawal application and leave is hereby granted for the case to be withdrawn. But since judgement of the trial court had been set aside, the status quo before the commencement of all proceedings stands.
“ Therefore, it means there was no change in the provisions of the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957, since there is a ruling that composition of the Commission of Inquiry was not determined appropriately and therefore it is vide and irregular.”
THE PUNCH……..
