…As community heads to S’ Court
Priscilla Ofunre, Ado-Ekiti
A State High Court, sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has dismissed a suit by the people of Iye-Ekiti to stop the relocation of Ilejemeje Local Council headquarters from the community to Eda-Oniyo by the state government.
The community, however, has said it would go to the Supreme Court to seek a review on the ground of the court’s decision that it had come to a wrong court.
Then military governor, Col. Inua Muhammed Bawa had, in 1996, relocated the headquarters of Ilejemeje Local Government Area from Eda-Oniyo to Iye-Ekiti in which Eda-Oniyo had gone to court to contest the relocation.
The Supreme Court’s judgement of December 14, 2018, had recognised Eda-Oniyo as the headquarters and ordered the state government for immediate relocation.
The state government, through the deputy governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi had, in October, last year, announced the relocation of the headquarters from Iye-Ekiti to Eda-Oniyo.
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Justice Abiodun Adesodun who dismissed the case said “I have read carefully and digested all the processes filed by the Claimant, and this is the originating summary upholding the judgement of the Supreme Court and I am of the view that the Claimant have come before a wrong court to seek redress of the apex court’s judgement.”
However, the people of Iye-Ekiti community, through their counsel, Taiwo Kupolati, in his address said, ” Iye-Ekiti was not a party to the Supreme Court’s decision and was proper for the community to seek a declaration of right at the High Court under the existing statue that established Iye-Ekiti as the headquarters of Ilejemeje local council.
“The relocation of Ilejemeje local government headquarters from Eda-Oniyo to Iye-Ekiti on November 26,1999, was by a democratic government of Ekiti State.
“That the local government administration law number (2) of 1999, a gazetted law, was not brought to the notice of the Supreme Court in the judgement of December 14, 2018.
“Also, from 1999 up to 2018, when the decision of the Supreme Court was entered, Iye-Ekiti had been established as the local government headquarters and that law had been implemented by the state for all that period.
“We will go to the Supreme Court as directed and advised by his lordship that we had approached a wrong court to seek redress”, he said.
