Appeal Court affirms two ruling houses for Olofa’s stool

As the dispute over the Olofa stool lingers, the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital yesterday declared that there are two ruling houses to the stool.

The two ruling houses are Anilelerin and Olugbense. The appellate court had in July last year voided the selection and installation of Anilelerin candidate, Alhaji Mufutau Gbadamosi as the Olofa of Offa.

The court also set aside the aspect of the 2012 judgment of the state High Court sitting in Offa, Offa Local Government Area which dismissed the counterclaim of Anilelerin ruling house as statue-barred.

The trial court had at that time declared that the selection and installation of Alhaji Gbadamosi as the Offa monarch, was legal.

Following last year’s verdict which sacked Alhaji Gbadamosi, the Anilelerin ruling house in a cross appeal, prayed the court to declare that the stool is not rotational.

It also sought a declaration that only Anilelerin ruling house exists and another declaration that the Kwara State Gazette of 1970 is not statue-barred. The gazette establishes that there are two ruling houses in Offa.

But in its judgment yesterday, the three-man panel led by Justice A. G Mshelia, declared that the “manner in which the learned trial judge handled the counter-claim was inequitable and perverse.”

The court in the judgment read by Justice Pemu declared that “the aspect of the judgment that says the counter-claim is statue-barred is hereby set aside.”

The court added “that the issue is now before the Supreme Court in the appeals the deposed Oba and the other filed by kingmakers. That issue is the paramount issue and the court can no longer decide on it.”