Calls for investigation, obedience to Appeal Court Judgment

A human rights organization, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has written a strong worded Petition Letter to the new Governor of Osun State, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Jackson Adeleke over an alleged fraudulent appointment of one Taiwo Rasaq Adegboye as new Alawo of Awo on September 13th, 2021 by immediate past Governor of the State, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola.

However, the Appeal Court, Akure Judicial Division through its judgment delivered on 8th August,2022,had nullified the illegal appointment and installation of Taiwo Adegboye as new Alawo but former Governor Oyetola refused to obey the judgement by claiming that Taiwo Adegboye was former Councilor and strong member of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Egbedore Local Government area of the State.

Quoting the part of Appeal Court Judgement on the stool, “An order is hereby made setting aside the selection, the appointment, the approval and the installation of the second Appellant, Honourable Adegboye Taiwo Rasaq, as the Alawo of Awo, some of which acts were carried by the eight to the eleventh Respondents, and they were carried out after this appeal had been entered on the 25th of June,2021 and was pending before this Court and the second Appellant (Adegboye) is directed to vacate the Stool forthwith.

“The Second Appellant, Honourable Adegboye Taiwo Rasaq, is hereby restrained from parading himself as or performing any of the functions of the Alawo of Awo or wearing or displaying any insignia of the office of Alawo of Awo, including beads, crowns and all other paraphernalia of the stool pending the final determination of this action by the lower Court”.

Quoting the Supreme Court of Nigeria that it is trite principle of law to obey the order of the Court as contained in the case of Abacha V. Fawehinmi (2002) 2SCNQR 489 at 546 thus: “…… It is the law that a decision of a Court of competent jurisdiction,no matter that if seems palpable null and void, unattractive or unsupportable, remains good law and uncompromisingly binding until set aside by a superior Court of competent jurisdiction.”

It equally alleged that Taiwo Adegboye’s appointment and subsequent installation was characterized with forgery of selection documents, flagrant disobedience to Court orders and usage of wrong law of repealed, obsolete and outdated 1957 Declaration, instead of subsisting 1979 Registered Alawo of Awo Chieftaincy Declaration.

This was contained in the Petition dated Tuesday 6th of December,2022 and signed by the CHRSJ’s Assistant General Secretary (AGS), Pastor Michael Agaasi and copies were made available to newsmen on Tuesday, exposed the forgery selection documents in favour of Taiwo Rasaq Adegboye, which contained different thumbprint impressions and signatures of the Head/Mogaji and Secretary of Abioye Ruling House/Compound,Awo.

Agaasi called for investigation into the forgery allegations of selection documents in Alawo stool process by  informing Governor Adeleke that no member of Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Awo, held any meeting anytime/anywhere on the acclaimed date of 24st August,2020 in purported selection documents,where officials of Egbedore Local Government,Awo, claimed to be an observers without any evidence of “Video Clip or Photograph” in this computer age,to show where the sons and daughters of Abioye Ruling House/ Compound,Awo,met to choose Taiwo Rasaq Adegboye as their candidate then.

It faulted the claims of Egbedore Local Government officials in the purported forgery selection documents that ONLY Taiwo Rasaq Adegboye obtained the Expression of Interest Form from Abioye Ruling House/Compound,Awo,whereas it was pit of lies from the said officials contrary to the contents in their purported election/selection Letter with Reference N0: ELG.396/T/60, dated and signed by one Mrs. Olabimtan F. Abiola, Council Manager for Chairman then, adding that there were two persons including; Comrade (Prince) Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman with phone number (+2348038591504/+2348022697573) .

It  insisted that the fake aforementioned documents were accepted to appoint Taiwo Adegboye illegally by former Governor through his Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Rasaq Adeosun, in flagrant disobedience to the Court order made on 27th August,2020 by Justice M.O. Agboola that all parties should maintain “Status Quo” in HED/26/2020.

It added that the case of Taiwo Adegboye was just a similar case of candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2019 Bayelsa State Governorship election where Supreme Court of Nigeria in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) & 2Ors. V. Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo & 3Ors, declared the PDP candidate who is the second run-up in the said election as winner of the Governorship election because of the forgery act of APC Deputy Governor-Elect.

CHRSJ hinged on the premise of Governor Adeleke’s vow that ‘Rule of Law’ would be the watchword of his administration, which made him to give an executive order on the implementation of the recent judgement of the Federal High Court, Osogbo Judicial Division, that sacked the newly elected Chairmen and Councilors in the Local Government areas of the State, describing Adeleke as a respecter of Rule of Law in this regard.

Part of the Letter reads thus; “The process was manipulated against the CHRSJ’s Executive Chairman, Comrade (Prince) Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman (+2348038591504/+2348022697573), who is the only qualified candidate from Abioye Ruling House/Compound, Awo, for Alawo stool without having any forgery act in his favour during the purported process.

“But former Governor Gboyega Oyetola and his Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Evangelist Rasaq Adeosun,claimed that Prince Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman is the State leader of opposition to Government of All Progressive Congress (APC) and as well as strong supporter of Governor Ademola Adeleke during the 2017 Senatorial Bye-Election, Governorship election in 2018 and Governorship election in 2022 respectively.”

While urging Governor Adeleke to also respect the Appeal Court judgement on Alawo stool by ordering the security agents for immediate take over of the palace of Alawo as Adeleke did recently in respect of Owa of Igbajo,Aree and Akinrun stools, saying that disrespect for the appellate Court judgement foundation laid by Oyetola’s administration on Alawo stool,should be discontinued by Adeleke’s government in order to return peace back to the ancient town of Awo.

It therefore urged Governor Adeleke to set up a Judicial Administrative Panel of Inquiry(JAPI) to unravel the usage of forgery selection documents and wrong law of 1957 instead of subsisiting 1979 Chieftaincy Declaration used to appoint and install Taiwo Adegboye illegally.