Ekiti: Supreme Court dismisses Aderemi’s appeal over Alara stool

The Supreme Court has brought an end to the 16-year legal battle over the Alara of Aramoko-Ekiti throne, dismissing an appeal filed by Prince Segun Aderemi challenging the enthronement of the late Oba Adegoke Olu-Adeyemi.

In a judgment delivered on Friday by Justice Idris Mohammed on behalf of four other justices, the apex court held that the appeal lacked merit. The court ruled that Prince Aderemi failed to establish any compelling reason for it to interfere with or overturn the concurrent decisions of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier affirmed Oba Olu-Adeyemi’s installation. Both the late monarch and the appellant hail from the Arakale Ruling House.

The Supreme Court declared that it found no substance in Aderemi’s claims and described the lower courts’ decisions as sound, firm, and unimpeachable. It therefore upheld the earlier judgments and dismissed the appeal.

With the verdict, the long-standing dispute over the Aramoko-Ekiti kingship has been laid to rest. Legal experts note that, by law, once an Oba dies, his tenure ends automatically, and the throne moves to the next ruling house in line with rotation principles.

They argue that the case became purely academic after the death of Oba Olu-Adeyemi and should have been withdrawn, as no ruling could have conferred any practical benefit on the appellant.

Some analysts also criticised the concealment of the monarch’s death during the proceedings, describing it as professional misconduct on the part of those involved.

Reacting to the judgment, legal practitioner Kabir Akingbolu said the outcome reaffirmed the belief that traditional leadership is ultimately determined by divine will and the will of the people. He added that the litigation prolonged tension in the town for many years but noted that the Supreme Court’s decision had finally restored peace.

“An Obaship is often a matter of divine ordainment; nobody can impose himself on the people,” he said. “For 16 years, the community was held in uncertainty, but truth has prevailed and peace has returned to Aramoko-Ekiti.”