By Divine Sam
The Eselu of Iselu Kingdom in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, has instituted a suit against Governor Dapo Abiodun over his suspension, asking the Federal High Court in Abeokuta to restrain the state government from removing him from office.
Akinyemi was suspended about two weeks ago over alleged involvement in partisan politics. In a letter dated October 20, 2026, the state government directed him to vacate his palace immediately and stop presenting himself as the Eselu of Iselu Kingdom.
The directive, issued by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, also prohibited the monarch from wearing or using his crown, beads, beaded staff, irukere and other traditional royal insignia.
However, challenging the decision, the monarch argued that his suspension was unlawful because he was neither given prior notice of the allegations against him nor afforded an opportunity to defend himself.
In the suit marked FHC/AB/FHR/148/26, filed before the Federal High Court, Abeokuta Judicial Division, Akinyemi is seeking an interim injunction restraining the Ogun State Government and the police from enforcing the suspension pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Other respondents in the suit include the Ogun State Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State.
The monarch is asking the court to prevent the respondents from forcing him out of the Eselu Palace, stopping him from performing his traditional duties or denying him the right to identify and function as the Eselu of Iselu Kingdom.
He also wants an order restraining government officials and the police from harassing, intimidating, arresting or detaining him in connection with his exercise of the rights associated with his traditional office.
In an affidavit supporting the application, Akinyemi maintained that the suspension violated his right to fair hearing and other fundamental rights guaranteed under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
He expressed concern that the state government might deploy security operatives to forcibly remove him from the palace, warning that enforcing the suspension could cause irreparable damage to the traditional institution and expose him to public humiliation.
His counsel, Dele Fadesere, urged the court to protect the monarch’s fundamental rights and preserve the existing situation before the October 20 suspension.
In their written address, the monarch’s lawyers, Oladipo Olasope, SAN, and D.J. Fadesere, questioned whether the government could lawfully suspend a traditional ruler over allegations without first giving him an opportunity to respond.
They cited the Supreme Court decisions in Kotoye v. Central Bank of Nigeria (1989) and Reckitt & Colman v. Gongoni (2001), arguing that the conditions for granting an injunction had been established.
The lawyers further submitted that the balance of convenience favoured their client, insisting that enforcing the suspension before the determination of the substantive suit could cause damage that might be difficult to reverse.
Justice A.A. Okeke has fixed November 11, 2026, for a ruling on the application for an interim injunction.
The application, dated October 23, 2026, was filed under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019, and relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
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