Following formal withdrawal of their suit, challenging the validity of a consent judgment reached without their approval, the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, yesterday, dismissed the suit by the Ibadan High Cjiefs promoted as Oba, declaring that there was no court proceeding delaying the selection and installation of the Olubadan of Ibadan anymore.
In his ruling over the contentious issue, the CJ said that both the State Government and the Olubadan-in-Council could now proceed in the process leading to the selection and installation of High Chief Lekan Balogun, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland as the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland. Chief Lekan Balogun (a former Senator), and seven other Ibadan High Chiefs, who were promoted as Obas by the last administration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi, contested the validity of a consent judgment given by a state High Court on November 19, 2019 in suit M/317/2017. The Chief Judge in his brief judgment in the suit declared that the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957 remains valid, adding that he was dismissing the suit and not striking it out as requested because issues have been joined.