Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Ondo State High Court sitting in Ore, headquarters of Odigbo Local Government Area, has issued a restraining order barring High Chief Akindele Aladenika from parading himself as the regent of the Ore community, while also directing the state government and its agencies to suspend all recognition of his appointment until a substantive chieftaincy suit is finally determined. In a ruling delivered by Justice Ade Adegoroye on Friday, 3 July 2026, a copy of which was made available to journalists on Sunday, 5 July 2026, the court held that the installation of another regent while an earlier case on the same stool remained pending in court could amount to contempt and undermine the judicial process.
The chieftaincy dispute traces its roots to the death of the Olore of Ore, Oba Johnson Olatomide, who passed away in 2020, leaving the traditional stool vacant for six years. The Ondo State Government subsequently approved the appointment of High Chief Akindele Aladenika as regent, a decision that was immediately met with fierce opposition from members of the Olore-in-Council, who insisted that the community deserved a substantive monarch rather than a regent. The council argued that the statutory period for appointing a regent had long elapsed and that the kingdom had already commenced processes for selecting a new Olore.
Four members of the Olore-in-Council—High Chief Monday Sawoju, High Chief Mrs Esther, Chief Tope Ijiniga, and Chief Fakeye Sawoju—approached the court seeking an interlocutory injunction to restrain the state government and security agencies from recognising Aladenika as regent pending the determination of the substantive suit. The defendants in the suit include the state governor, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, and one David Ijiniga. The plaintiffs also prayed the court to set aside the nomination, approval, and all documents and activities that led to Aladenika's appointment.
In his ruling, Justice Adegoroye noted that there was a subsisting injunction on the previous regency of the community which had not yet been determined. He emphasised that installing another regent while the matter remained pending in court could amount to contempt and undermine the judicial process. "The position of this case is a bit more precarious. The matter is sub judice, and the bone of contention is the regency of Ore," the judge said. "There is a subsisting injunction against the erstwhile regent, who unfortunately has joined his ancestors. It is an affront against the court for another person to be installed in defiance of the injunction, for whatever it is worth, and the fact that the case is still pending before the court. Tinkering with a matter that is sub judice could amount to contempt of court".
Consequently, the court granted the application in part, restraining the first to fourth defendants and all law enforcement agencies from further recognising High Chief Akindele Aladenika as the Regent of Ore pending the final determination of the substantive suit. The court also ordered Aladenika to stop parading himself as the Regent of Ore until the case is concluded. The ruling effectively bars the state government from according any official recognition to Aladenika and prevents him from exercising any traditional authority over the community.
The dispute has been a source of tension in Ore town, with the Olore-in-Council previously describing the government's move to appoint a regent as a "cultural coup" capable of destabilising the peace and long-standing traditional order of the Ore Kingdom. High Chief Tope Ijiniga, speaking on behalf of the council, had earlier told the government that six years after the demise of the late Olore, appointing a regent for a commercial town like Ore was not only inappropriate but provocative. The council had also appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to intervene and ensure that due process was followed to avert a breakdown of law and order. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs had previously denied any attempt to impose a regent on Ore town, describing the allegations as false and misleading. With the court now firmly asserting that the matter is sub judice and that any further recognition of Aladenika would be an affront to the judicial process, the chieftaincy tussle in Ore community enters a new phase, with all parties now compelled to await the final determination of the substantive suit before the traditional leadership question can be resolved.
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