CITIZENS COMPASS —The Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, is to officially gets his Staff of Office on Saturday, December 16, 2023.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, will present the staff of office to Ghandi.
A palace source disclosed this on Monday, November 27, 2023.
This was as state High Court sitting in Ogbomoso, on Monday, granted a stay of execution of the October 25 judgment, which ordered the removal of the monarch.
It was gathered that a prince, Kabir Olaoye, filed a suit marked HOG/27/2022, alleging irregularities in the process that led to Oba Ghandi’s emergency as Soun of Ogbomosoland.
Displeased with the judgment, Oba Ghandi and the state government filed an appeal as well as an application for a stay of execution.
On Monday, the judge granted the application for stay and directed “all the parties to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the appeal already filed by the defence of Oba Olaoye and the state government.”
Recall that the state government announced Ghandi, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) as the new Soun and made him king, on September 8, 2023; two years after Oba Jimoh Oyewumi Ajagungbade III joined his ancestors in December 2021, at the age of 95 years and reigned for 48 years.
Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that Governor Makinde was set to present the staff of office to the Soun. It was learnt that a long-week programme, which is expected to commence, on Monday, December 10 in Ogbomosoland, will be rounded off, on Sunday, December 17, with a thanksgiving service.
An informed palace source said, “All is now set for a successful presentation of staff of office to our Oba. All necessary arrangements have already been put in place. The presentation will officially be done by the state governor, Makinde, on Saturday, December 16, which is next month. It is a week-long programme starting on Monday and ending on Sunday.
“Oba is not in town, however; he has travelled out of the country for some time. With the renovation going on in the palace now, the monarch will soon be in town.”
—The PUNCH
