Court of Appeal Upholds Asolo’s Authority, Dismisses Araromi Chieftaincy Claim

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin has dismissed an appeal challenging the authority of the Asolo of Isolo-Opin, affirming that the community of Araromi remains an integral part of Isolo-Opin in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

In a unanimous decision delivered on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Justice Kenneth Ikechukwu Amadi, with Justices Tunde Oyebamiji Awotoye and Abdu Dogo concurring, ruled that the installation of Alhaji Musa Adewale Lawal as Olu of Araromi was unlawful, null, and void.

The dispute began when the appellants, led by Alhaji Musa Adewale Lawal, claimed authority to install him as the Olu of Araromi. They argued that Araromi was distinct from Isolo-Opin and that they had the right to act as kingmakers.

However, the Asolo of Isolo-Opin, Oba Raphael Sunday Are, challenged the move in court, relying on earlier judgments which had settled the matter.

In its judgment, the appellate court maintained that previous rulings in 1997 and 2000 had already established that Araromi is part of Isolo-Opin, and therefore cannot have a separate traditional ruler. Justice Amadi noted: “There cannot be two traditional heads in one community.

The lower court was right to have restrained the appellants from parading themselves or anyone else as Olu of Araromi.”

The appellants had argued that the trial court failed to consider boundary disputes and that earlier judgments had been compromised through local interventions. But the appellate court held that such claims lacked credible evidence.

“He who alleges must prove,” Justice Amadi stressed, ruling that the appellants failed to establish any compromise of the subsisting judgments.

The court further affirmed the perpetual injunction granted by the lower court restraining the appellants and their agents from presenting or recognizing anyone as Olu of Araromi.

Reacting to the ruling, legal representatives of the Isolo-Opin community hailed the judgment as a victory for peace and stability.

“This decision puts to rest years of contention and affirms the unity of Isolo-Opin and Araromi as one community,” said counsel to the respondent, Adewale Thomas Olatunde.

The appeal, filed under number CA/IL/130/2021, was dismissed in its entirety for lacking merit.

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