A descendant of the Okewaye Ruling House in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, Kabir O. Alagbe, has disputed claims that the state high court declared Prince Sulaimon B. Adedimeji the authentic Olori Ebi of the ruling house and granted all the reliefs he sought in a chieftaincy-related suit.

Alagbe, a retired director in the federal civil service, said the publications on social media misrepresented the outcome of proceedings in Suit No HCI/19/2024 before the Ogun State High Court, Idi Oke, Igbesa.
 
He explained that the judgment delivered by Justice Durojaiye was based on Terms of Settlement between Adedimeji and Prince Mufutau Francis Adekunle and did not amount to a determination of the competing claims to the position of Olori Ebi of the Okewaye Ruling House.
 
“The court did not determine the competing claims on who is Olori Ebi of Okewaye on merits. It merely adopted the agreement reached between the settling parties”, he said.

Alagbe argued that it is misleading to present the outcome as a judicial determination granting all the claimant’s substantive reliefs against every defendant in the suit, adding that an agreement between individual parties could not be represented as the consent of the entire Okewaye Ruling House or as recognition by government authorities that did not participate in the settlement.

Noting that Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government has filed a Notice of Appeal before the Ibadan Division of the Appeal Court, challenging the consent judgment, Alagbe urged all parties to respect the applicable court orders and allow the legal process to run its course.

The statement also raised concerns over alleged calls by Adedimeji and Adekunle for a fresh nomination exercise for the vacant seat of Olofin of Ado-Odo as Alagbe disputed the basis for such calls, insisting that the stool was not vacant and that the appeal against the consent judgment remains pending before the appellate court.
 
Alagbe appealed to residents, community leaders and other stakeholders to avoid circulating unverified information or making statements capable of provoking hostility and deepening existing divisions.