Alaafin stool: Hearing of petitions filed by nine royal families stalls as Judge fails to appear

The hearing in the complaint demanding the inclusion of nine royal families in the selection of the new Alaafin of Oyo was halted on Thursday due to the absence of the presiding judge.

The departure of Oba Lamidi Atanda Olayiwola Adeyemi, who joined his ancestors in April 2022 at the age of 83, left the Alaafin stool empty.

While the selection process for the 46th Alaafin of Oyo has already begun, nine of the 11 royal families of the Abiodun Atiba dynasty have requested that their kinsmen be included in the process.

The nine families contended that it was unfair to limit the Alaafin of Oyo to only two families, Alowolodu and Agunloye.

Three members of the nine families (dubbed the Atiba 9) had filed a complaint in Oyo State High Court in Oyo town seeking inclusion of the families in the selection process.

They are requesting that the state government issue an order directing the review of the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration to include the nine royal families. Their case is based on a 1976 State Executive Council Resolution that declared the declaration invalid for excluding the nine families.

The families are requesting that the declaration be declared null and void for the appointment of a new Alaafin.

However, the absence of the presiding judge halted the session on Thursday.

The court then set November 28 as the next hearing date.