Contestant to the throne of Olusupare of Supare-Akoko in Akoko Southwest Local Government Area of Ondo State, Prince Animasahun Solomon Adelakun, has kicked against the decision of the state government to approve a new monarch of the town.

Adelakun, through his counsel, Chief Tolu Babaleye, said the approval of Prince Adewale Fatunsi as the Olusupare by the State Executive Council violated a subsisting court order that halted any process leading to the installation of a monarch for the town.

The State Executive Council, through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Amidu Takuro, had on Tuesday announced Fatunsi as the new Olusupare of Supare-Akoko. The council also approved Prince Tayo Ajisegiri as the Olujigba in Akure South Local Government.

However, the lawyers to the aggrieved aspirant who addressed the media at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Wednesday kicked against the decision of the government that ratified the appointment despite the pendency of an injunction at the state High Court.

Apart from the injunction, Babaleye said there was a pending suit at the State High Court, for which the final adoption of addresses by the parties has been fixed for September. He expressed dismay with the decision of the government that seeks to render whatever the judgment of the court a nullity.

Babaleye, who was flanked by the aggrieved aspirant, said: “We condemn this approval in the strongest possible terms as it is patently illegal, constitutes a grave disrespect to the Judiciary, and amounts to a deliberate undermining of the rule of law in Ondo State.”

According to him, “It is elementary that the subject matter of this chieftaincy stool is pending before a court of competent jurisdiction. There is currently a substantive suit pending before the Ondo State High Court, Oka Division, Suit No. HKA/32/2024 between Prince Animasahun Solomon Adelakun v. Fasusi Richard Adewale and 13 others.

“We wish to state unequivocally that this suit has reached an advanced stage. Both parties have called their witnesses, and the case has been closed on both sides. The matter has now been adjourned to September 23, 2026, for final written addresses, after which the court will deliver its judgment.

“More critically, there is a pending interlocutory injunction restraining the Ondo State Government from taking any step to approve the said appointment pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit. This injunction is subsisting, valid, and binding on all parties, including the Ondo State Government.

“Despite the existence of this subsisting court order, the Ondo State Government, at its State Executive Council meeting of July 28, 2026, went ahead to ratify the appointment of Prince Adewale Fatunsi Richard. This action is not only illegal but constitutes a flagrant disobedience to a subsisting court order and a reckless affront to the sanctity of the Judiciary.

“The question that begs for an answer is: Why does this pattern of disobedience to court orders keep recurring in Ondo State? Why is the sanctity of court orders not being respected by the very government that swore to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?”

Babaleye said the state government has resorted to self-help, overreached the court, and taken a decision that can render the proceedings before the court nugatory.

He called on the state government to put on hold the approval of Prince Fatunsi as the Olusupare of Supare-Akoko to allow the rule of law to prevail.

He also called on the government to allow the court to work freely under the doctrine of separation of powers, which is a fundamental pillar of Nigeria’s democracy.

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