A Federal High Court in Ibadan has restrained the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, from sacking the executive of the Egbe Omo Ogbomoso Parapo Agbaaye and imposing a caretaker committee.
The monarch had early September pronounced the dissolution of the association’s executive and announced Prof. Josiah Ajiboye as acting president, heading a caretaker committee pending the election of a new substantive executive. But the acting president appointed by the association, Alhaji Yusuf Adetayo, and two other members – Mr Tolani Balogun and Alhaji Bukola Badmus – dragged Oba Ghandi, Ajiboye and the association’s registered trustees to court, seeking an order restraining the monarch from effecting the change.
They argued that Oba Olaoye does not have the power to sack the executive and impose leaders on the association. They explained that the association is independent and guided by its own constitution being a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)- registered entity.
The applicants sought an order restraining Ajiboye and his purported committee from forcefully displacing the acting exco appointed by the association from the secretariat, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
They also sought an order restraining the caretaker committee from taking any step towards conducting an election or appointing any persons to office thereby displacing the legally installed acting executive from the secretariat.
Delivering a ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by the applicants’ lawyers on Monday, the presiding judge, Justice N. E. Maha, ordered both parties to maintain status quo ante pending the determination of the motion on notice filed on November 11, 2025.
The court also directed the applicants to serve the certified true copy of the enrolled order and the motion on notice seeking interlocutory injunction orders and originating summons as well as other relevant papers on the respondents within 48 hours.
Hearing notice was also ordered to be served the respondents while hearing of pending motion seeking interlocutory orders was adjourned to December 1, 2025.
The association, which comprises all Ogbomoso indigenes worldwide, has the Soun of Ogbomoso as the life grand patron with other monarchs in the area as life patrons. The life patrons include the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Onikoyi of Ikoyi, Aresadu of Iresaadu and Alajaawa of Ajaawa.
