Alaafin stool: Absence of judge stalls hearing in suit filed by nine royal families
The absence of the presiding judge on Thursday stalled the hearing in the suit seeking the inclusion of nine royal families in the selection of the new Alaafin of Oyo.
The Alaafin stool became vacant as a result of the transition of Oba Lamidi Atanda Olayiwola Adeyemi, who joined his ancestors in April 2022 at the age of 83.
While the selection process for the 46th Alaafin of Oyo has since commenced, nine out of the 11 royal families from the Abiodun Atiba dynasty have called for the inclusion of their kinsmen in the selection process.
The nine families argued that it was wrong to allow only two families, Alowolodu and Agunloye, to produce the Alaafin of Oyo.
Three members of the nine families (named the Atiba 9) had filed a suit at the Oyo State High Court in Oyo town for the families’ inclusion in the selection process.
They are seeking an order directing the state government to review the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration to include the nine royal families. Their argument is premised on the 1976 State Executive Council Resolution that pronounced the declaration defective for excluding the nine families.
The families are seeking an order voiding the declaration and rendering it invalid for the selection of a new Alaafin.
The absence of the presiding judge, however, stalled the hearing on Thursday.
The court subsequently gave November 28 as the new hearing date.
