Ondo court dismisses Deji’s suit, affirms Iralepo
Rules Deji has no consenting authority over Isinkan By Dayo Johnson AKURE: An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has dismissed a suit filed by the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, challenging the…
The dispute centres on the traditional hierarchy around Isinkan, a community that falls within the orbit of the ancient Akure kingdom. The Deji of Akure had gone to court to challenge the Ondo State government's recognition of the Iralepo of Isinkan as a monarch, apparently arguing that any such recognition required his consent as the paramount ruler over the area. Chieftaincy disputes of this kind are common across Yorubaland, where questions over which communities fall under a paramount ruler's authority, and whether a monarch's blessing is needed before government can recognise or install a lesser oba, often end up in court and can simmer for years, sometimes fuelling communal tension.
Both Vanguard and Tribune Online report that the Ondo State High Court in Akure has thrown out the Deji's suit and upheld the state government's recognition of the Iralepo of Isinkan. Vanguard frames the ruling specifically around the court's finding that the Deji lacks consenting authority over Isinkan, while Tribune Online emphasises the broader affirmation of the state government's power to recognise the Iralepo. Neither report yet details the full grounds of the judgment, whether the Deji intends to appeal, or what implications the ruling carries for other communities whose traditional status may be linked to Akure's paramount stool.