Court Nullifies Osun Govt’s Recognition Of Lagbua As Ruling House In Iragbiji

The Osun State High Court in Iragbiji has voided the state government’s approval of the Lagbua family as the 5th ruling house to the Aragbiji of Iragbiji throne.

 

In a judgment delivered on August 21, 2026, Justice G.O. Lawal ruled that the government had no power to resurrect a 2010 panel report it had already rejected in 2013.

 

 

Suit No. HIR/3/2025 was filed by the four existing ruling houses in Iragbiji — Ajibode, Ogunmolu, Osungbemi and Arodoye — against the Osun State Governor, Attorney-General, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and representatives of the Lagbua family.

 

The plaintiffs are: Chief Salawu Fatai for Ajibode; Chief Wale Oyedokun for Ogunmolu; Prince Kola Afolabi for Osungbemi; and Prince Adeyinka Adebisi for Arodoye.

 

The dispute started after the Osun State Executive Council, at its January 29, 2025 meeting, approved a one-man Judicial Panel of Inquiry led by Justice A.A. Aderibigbe. The 2010 panel had recommended that Lagbua be added as a ruling house.

 

The plaintiffs argued that government had already rejected the Aderibigbe report in 2013. The rejection was conveyed to the Lagbua family in an April 25, 2013 letter and published in Osun State Gazette No. 7, Vol. 23 of April 4, 2013.

 

They said government could not revive the report without setting up a fresh panel and hearing from affected parties.

 

Justice Lawal agreed. He said the 2013 letter and gazette publication amounted to a final government decision on the matter.

 

“The inference that the Government had considered and rejected the recommendations is compelling,” the judge stated, adding that gazetting made the position public.

 

He held that the 2013 decision effectively ended the panel’s proceedings. If Lagbua was dissatisfied, the proper step was to challenge it in court then, not wait until 2025 for another administration to revive it.

 

The court also ruled that while a chieftaincy declaration can be amended, it must be done through a new inquiry, not by re-adopting a rejected report. Reviving it without notifying the four ruling houses also breached their right to fair hearing.

 

“If government can keep reviewing and reversing decisions on the same panel report, successive administrations will keep changing positions indefinitely,” Justice Lawal warned.

 

 

The court answered all five questions raised by the plaintiffs in their favour. It declared that:

1. The 2013 rejection of the Aderibigbe report is binding on all parties, including Lagbua.

2. Osun Government lacked power to issue a White Paper approving the rejected report.

3. Reopening the report without notice to the plaintiffs was illegal and violated fair hearing.

 

Consequently, the judge set aside the January 29, 2025 Executive Council decision that made Lagbua the 5th ruling house, and also nullified the White Paper that amended the Aragbiji Chieftaincy Declaration.

 

However, claims for perpetual injunction and N50m damages were struck out for lack of sufficient evidence. Each party was ordered to bear its own costs.

 

“In the final result, the claimants’ claims against the defendants jointly and severally succeed,” Justice Lawal concluded.