An Osun State High Court in Ile-Ife on Thursday reinstated Adegboyega Famodun as the Owa of Igbajo, ruling that the state government’s revocation of his appointment was invalid.
The court annulled a White Paper and an Executive Order issued by Governor Ademola Adeleke that had reversed Famodun’s appointment. The ruling follows a legal challenge by Famodun, who argued that his installation was carried out according to due process.
In January 2024, the Osun government released six White Papers after investigating various chieftaincy issues across the state. One of those documents invalidated the selection process that led to Famodun’s emergence as the Owa of Igbajo in 2022.
Famodun was appointed by former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola shortly before he left office. However, upon taking office in November 2022, Governor Adeleke revoked Famodun’s appointment and established a committee to review the process. The committee’s findings resulted in an Executive Order calling for a new selection process for the Owa of Igbajo.
Justice AO Ayoola, in her ruling, stated that the Executive Order and White Paper had no legal basis to annul a properly conducted chieftaincy process.
The court’s decision is a significant victory for Famodun, who had sought to preserve his title against the state government’s actions.