Court Orders Ogun Monarch To Vacate Stool

An Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode, on Monday ordered the Posa of Imosan town in Odogbolu local government area of Ogun State, southwest Nigeria, Chief Shamsudeen Wahab, to vacate his stool with immediate effect.

A former Permanent Secretaty in the State, Mr Kehinde Ogunfowodu, had in November 2011, told the court through his counsel, Barr. Akorede Oduneye that Wahab was illegally occupying the stool.

His counsel argued among others, that the installation of Wahab was contrary to the chieftaincy and the rotational order of appointment of a  person who should occupy the stool as contained in the 1957 chieftaincy title declaration.

Delivering his judgment on the matter, Justice Sunday Olugbemi, who frowned at the absence of the defendant for the entire duration of the trial, said that the complainant had been able to establish his case beyond reasonable doubt.

“The defendants are hereby perpetually restrained from disorganising the rotational order of appointment of the Posa of Imosan town as contained in the 1957 declaration. The sitting monarch of the Imosan, Chief Shamsudeen Wahab is hereby ordered to vacate the seat as his appointment has  been declared by the court as null and void,” Olugbemi ruled.

Olugbemi ordered the Regency- in-Council to make use of the report of the six-man committee set up to consider who becomes the next Posa of Imosan.

When our correspondent contacted the ousted monarch who has just celebrated Agemo festival to comment on the judgement, he couldn’t get  through to him on his mobile phone.

By Abiodun Onafuye, Abeokuta