Get Guardian on GoogleThe Lagos State High Court has adjourned proceedings in the dispute over the purported Will of late industrialist, Chief Labode Oladimeji Akindele, until November 19 for continuation of the cross-examination of a key witness.
The adjournment followed proceedings on November 2, when Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr Kemi Pinheiro, questioned Mr Soji Awogbade, a senior legal practitioner and former partner at AALEX, on the preparation of the deceased’s 2017 Will.
The case, before Justice T. A. Anjorin-Ajose, was instituted by Oladipo Alade Akindele, the deceased’s first son, who is challenging the authenticity, preparation and legal effect of the disputed testamentary document.
During the cross-examination, Pinheiro examined how Awogbade received instructions from the deceased, the corrections incorporated into the Will and the process through which the final document was approved.
Awogbade maintained that the Will was prepared following personal consultations with Chief Akindele. However, questions were raised about the availability of documentary records relating to those consultations.
The witness had described the deceased as a meticulous and commercially sophisticated businessman who exercised considerable care in reviewing important documents.
The proceedings also examined the relationship between the family protocol referenced in the 2017 Will and a subsequent Family Constitution dated October 14, 2018.
Questions concerning the distinction between executors appointed under the Will and trustees contemplated under the broader family governance arrangements also featured during the hearing.
The legal dispute forms part of a wider succession battle over the estate of Chief Akindele, who died aged 88 on June 29, 2020.
The late businessman built extensive commercial interests spanning maritime services, fishing, finance, real estate and international investments.
In an earlier intervention, the Lagos State High Court ordered that the estate be placed under the administration of the state’s Administrator-General pending the determination of the substantive dispute.
The claimant is seeking, among other reliefs, a declaration invalidating the purported Will, an order restraining its use in administering the estate and an account of the deceased’s assets, income and transactions since his death.
The defendants have denied the allegations, maintaining that the Will was validly executed and that the family constitution referenced in the document was duly executed.
Pinheiro is leading the claimant’s legal team alongside Mayowa Owolabi of Pistis Partners LLP, while the defendants are represented by Ebun Sofunde, SAN, of Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe & Belgore.
The court is expected to resume the cross-examination of Awogbade on November 19
