Lagos State: Oshodi Stool Partisanship Alleged in New Lawsuit

• The Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family has filed a new lawsuit accusing the Lagos State Government of supporting rival claimants to the Oshodi traditional stool.
• A 2012 Chieftaincy Tribunal recommendation identified the Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family as the rightful lineage for the Oba of Oshodi succession.
• Multiple court judgments, including from the Supreme Court, have consistently dismissed challenges to this tribunal recommendation.
• The family alleges the Lagos State Government reversed its position after initially taking steps to implement the recommendation.
• A 2022 letter from the Lagos Attorney General, recognizing rival families, is cited as evidence of governmental partisanship, based on an alleged misinterpretation of land ownership judgments.

The Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family has initiated a new lawsuit against the Lagos State Government, alleging partisan interference in the succession to the Oshodi traditional stool.

The Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family has initiated a new lawsuit against the Lagos State Government, alleging partisan interference in the succession to the Oshodi traditional stool. Filed before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, the suit, identified as ID/1457GCMW/2026, contends that the state government is actively supporting rival claimants and attempting to install an Oba despite a series of judicial pronouncements that have consistently upheld a tribunal's recommendation in the Olushi Onigbesa family's favor.

The legal action was brought by Prince Yaya Oseni-Agedegudu and Kabiru Eeyantan, representing the Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family, through their counsel, Omoniyi Akinmola. The extensive list of defendants includes the Lagos State governor, the attorney general and commissioner for justice, and the commissioner for local government, chieftaincy affairs and rural development. Also named are the Chairman of Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area, Chief Maroofdeen Oshodi, along with Chief Abdulrasak Oshodi and Hakeem Adesope, who represent the Oshodi family of Oshodi Palace, and Chief Biliamin Akinola and Adekunle Thomas, representing the Arota family of Oshodi.

At the heart of the Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family lawsuit is a plea for the court to declare them the rightful family entitled to produce the Oba of Oshodi. Furthermore, they seek an injunction to restrain the Lagos State Government, its various agencies, and the rival Oshodi Tapa and Arota families from recognizing or installing any other individual as the traditional ruler, thereby challenging what they perceive as Lagos State Oshodi stool partisanship.

The ongoing Oshodi chieftaincy dispute Lagos originates from a state-constituted Standing Tribunal of Inquiry into Chieftaincy Matters. This tribunal was tasked with determining whether the existing baaleship of Oshodi should be elevated to an obaship. Chaired by retired Justice A.O. Silva, the tribunal commenced its proceedings on June 1, 2005, and concluded its work by submitting its findings and recommendations to the Lagos State Government in 2012.

Crucially, the tribunal's recommendation explicitly identified the Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family as the rightful lineage entitled to produce the Oba of Oshodi. This finding became the bedrock of the family's claim to the Oba of Oshodi succession, setting the stage for subsequent legal battles as rival factions sought to challenge this authoritative pronouncement.

The Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family asserts that numerous attempts by rival families to overturn the Chieftaincy Tribunal recommendation have been unsuccessful in the courts. They cite a series of judgments that have consistently affirmed their position. For instance, the Oshodi Arota Ologun family's initial challenge at the High Court was dismissed on September 24, 2014. An appeal against this decision was subsequently dismissed by the Court of Appeal on March 25, 2020, with costs awarded, and the Supreme Court further dismissed their appeal on July 13, 2021, also with costs.

Further reinforcing the judicial consensus, the claimants point to additional cases. Suit No. ID/4218GCM/2020 was struck out by the High Court on June 10, 2022. Similarly, Suit No. ID/3174GCMW/2016, initiated by the Oshodi Tapa family, was struck out by Justice L.A.F. Oluyemi on January 27, 2022. Most recently, a certiorari application filed by both the Oshodi Tapa and Oshodi Ologun families in Suit No. ID/6736GCMW/2023 was struck out by Justice L.A. Oluwayemi on October 17, 2024. The Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family maintains that these successive judicial decisions have not, in any way, invalidated the original recommendation of the tribunal.

Despite the consistent judicial backing for the Chieftaincy Tribunal recommendation, the Olushi Onigbesa Royal Family alleges a significant shift in the Lagos State Government's stance. They claim that after the state government had initially begun administrative processes to implement the tribunal's findings, it abruptly changed its position. This reversal is specifically highlighted by a Lagos Attorney General Oshodi letter, dated October 20, 2022, which recognized the Oshodi and Arota families as the rightful claimants to produce the Oba of Oshodi.

The royal family contends that the Attorney General's position, as expressed in this letter, stems from a fundamental misunderstanding and misinterpretation of earlier court judgments. They argue that these previous judgments pertained exclusively to the ownership of a 206-acre parcel of land within Oshodi, and did not, in any way, determine the question of traditional rulership over the much broader Olushi Onigbesa territory. This extensive domain, they assert, was founded by Oba Olushi Onigbesa and encompasses more than 1,000 acres, including areas like Oshodi, Jafo, Abujalo, Dacosta, Ayeni, Ogunoloko, and Ago Igbira. The family further notes that Oshodi Tapa, identified as the progenitor of the Oshodi family, was not the founder of this expansive territory, underscoring their claim that the Attorney General's letter represents an act of Lagos State Oshodi stool partisanship.

This case highlights the ongoing complexities and potential for political influence in Lagos State chieftaincy disputes, even after tribunal recommendations and multiple court judgments. Lawyers should advise clients on the protracted nature of such cases and scrutinize government actions that may appear to contradict established legal findings.

Source: Original reporting via Onozure Dania