The Ondo State Government has dismissed claims that it approved the appointment of the Olusupare of Supare-Akoko in defiance of a subsisting court order, insisting that no valid judicial directive restrained it from carrying out the exercise.
The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo (SAN), in a statement issued on Friday, maintained that the government acted within the ambit of the law in approving the traditional ruler.
The Attorney General's office said the only order brought to its attention was the High Court's ruling of September 9, 2024, which granted an interim injunction pending the hearing of a motion on notice.
According to the statement, the motion was later abandoned, making the interim order lapse automatically in line with established legal principles.
The government explained that an interim injunction is temporary and only remains in force until the substantive application is heard, stressing that it cannot be interpreted as a subsisting interlocutory injunction.
It cited the Supreme Court's decision in Kotoye v. CBN to support its position that an interim order cannot continue to operate indefinitely once the application it was meant to protect is no longer being pursued.
The Attorney General's office challenged those alleging contempt of court to produce any existing order expressly restraining the government from exercising its statutory powers over the Olusupare stool.
The statement further argued that the institution of a lawsuit does not automatically halt governmental functions, noting that the doctrine of lis pendens protects the subject matter of litigation but does not prevent government from discharging its constitutional responsibilities.
It reaffirmed the state government's commitment to obeying all valid and subsisting court orders, including the eventual judgment in Suit No. HKA/32/2024.
"The government will neither abdicate the duties imposed on it by law nor disobey any lawful order of a competent court," the statement added.
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