An Ondo State High court sitting in Akure, the state capital has dismissed a suit filed against the candidacy of Oba Yisa Olanipekun as the Zaki of Arigidi Akoko.
The court held that the suit was lacking in jurisdiction and an abuse of court process.
The plaintiff, Joseph Olanipekun, had filed a suit before the court challenging the installation of Oba Olanipekun as the Zaki.
Counsel to Oba Olanipekun, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa had filed a preliminary objection, and argued that the case was filed out of time, urging the court to dismiss it.
He prayed further that filing of the case was an abuse of court processes, as the suit was filed outside the mandatory period of time specified in the Chieftaincy Law of Ondo State.
In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Akintan Osadebey, upheld the preliminary objection and held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
Justice Osadebey also ruled that the filing of the case against the defendant was an abuse of court process.
She explained that the case was a duplication of the one earlier dismissed by the court, involving the two parties.
The judge also ruled that the suit was filed outside the statutory period allowed by law and that the plaintiff did not fulfill the necessary conditions before filing it.
The court subsequently ordered the plaintiff to pay the sum of Hundred naira to the defendant.
In his reaction, Mr Adegboruwa commended the judge and the judiciary, noting that in spite of its recent challenges, the judiciary still offers hope to all as the last bus stop to secure justice and remedy.
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