Oyo court nullifies appointment of Oba Ghandi as Soun of Ogbomoso

An Oyo State High Court in Ogbomoso has declared the appointment of Oba Ghandi Olaoye as the new Soun of Ogbomoso invalid.

Oba Ghandi was announced as the new traditional ruler by the state government on September 8, 2023, despite a pending lawsuit challenging his selection.

The lawsuit was filed by Prince Kabir Laoye, one of the contenders for the throne, who claimed that the selection process that favoured Oba Ghandi was flawed and illegal. He asked the court to cancel the appointment and order a fresh selection process.

The court had earlier issued an order restraining the state government from installing anyone as the new Soun until the case was resolved. However, the government ignored the order and went ahead to appoint Oba Ghandi.

Justice Adedokun, who presided over the case, ruled in favour of Prince Kabir and nullified the appointment of Oba Ghandi.

He ordered the kingmakers of Ogbomoso to conduct a new selection process in accordance with the law and tradition.