…..insists Jafaru Isesele 1 is rightful Onojie of Ewu
The Supreme Court has dismissed a fresh application seeking to overturn its earlier judgment in the long-running Ewu Chieftaincy dispute, reaffirming the finality of its decisions and imposing a ₦10 million cost against the applicant, Prince Rasak Yesufu Ogiefo.
In its ruling delivered on Friday, June 5, 2026, the apex court rejected the motion aimed at revisiting the matter, stressing that Supreme Court judgments are final and cannot be endlessly challenged through repeated applications.
The latest decision follows an earlier warning issued by the court on March 16, 2026, when it strongly criticized repeated attempts to reopen the case. On that occasion, the court reportedly described the continuous filings by counsel to the Ewu kingmakers, Professor Ambrose Ekpu, as a “gross abuse of court process.”
Delivering its decision on Friday, the court reiterated the need to preserve the sanctity of its judgments and guard against unnecessary and prolonged litigation.
The application was vigorously opposed by a legal team led by Kingsley Obamogie (SAN), alongside Olayiwola Afolabi (SAN), Sunny Agwinede Esq., and President Aigbokhan Esq., whose arguments contributed to the dismissal of the motion.
The court further underscored that attempts to reopen matters that have been conclusively determined undermine the administration of justice and the principle of legal certainty.
Under the Supreme Court Rules, the court had earlier directed that the ₦10 million cost awarded against counsel be paid within ninety days.
The Ewu Chieftaincy dispute, one of the most closely watched traditional stool litigations in Edo State, concerns the Onojie of Ewu Kingdom in Esan Central Local Government Area.
The controversy was substantially resolved on July 19, 2024, when a five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim unanimously removed Prince Rasak Yesufu Ogiefo from the throne and declared Jafaru Isesele the rightful Onojie of Ewu.
In its landmark judgment, the apex court held that Ogiefo was not entitled to ascend the throne under the applicable traditional line of succession. The court found that his father, Prince Yesufu Isesele Ogiefo, died before his own father, the late Onojie of Ewu, His Royal Highness Isesele Ogiefo II, thereby extinguishing any succession claim through that lineage.
Consequently, the court affirmed Jafaru Isesele, the eldest surviving son of the late monarch, as the lawful and legitimate occupant of the throne.
Friday’s ruling is widely viewed as reinforcing judicial finality in the dispute and further closing the door on efforts to relitigate issues already settled by the nation’s highest court.