An Oyo State High court sitting in Ibadan has summoned the wife of the late former Governor of the state, Kemi Alao-Akala, to appear before it within 30 days.
The service of a writ of summons, a copy of which was obtained by PUNCH Online on Saturday in Ibadan, the state capital, ordered her and her co-defendant in a suit number 1/443/2023 filed before the Court over the alleged illegal obtaining of a letter of administration over the estate of her late husband, Adebayo Alao-Akala without the consent of the claimant.
The court gave the order while granting an ex-parte motion on an order of substituted service brought before it by Dipo Olasope, SAN, counsel for the claimant, Toyin Alao-Aderinto, against Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, over alleged mismanagement of the estate of late Adebayo Alao-Akala by the defendants and their privies.
It said, “You are hereby commanded that within 30 days after the service of this writ on you, inclusive of the day of this service, you do cause an appearance to be entered for you in action at the instance of the claimant.”
The suit marked I/443/2024 is challenging the actions of the defendants, Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, who have been accused of illegally obtaining a letter of administration from the state High Court on October 6, 2022, in connection with late Alao-Akala’s estate, mismanaging the deceased’s assets and property and further excluding the claimant/applicant from benefitting from the distribution of the assets of the estate of late Alao-Akala, the claimant’s father.
The first daughter of the deceased, Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, is seeking the leave of the court to declare as illegal, null and void a letter of administration illegally obtained by the duo of Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi from the registry of the state High Court and to also grant an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the defendants, including Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, by themselves, agents or privies or whomsoever is claiming through them, from continuing to sell or dispose any asset (real or personal), belonging to the late former Governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala.
It will be recalled that Toyin Alao-Aderinto, in a letter dated August 16, 2023, signed by Dipo Olasope, SAN, principal partner, Dipo Olasope and co., and addressed to the duo of Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Akala, had stated that the “Letter of Administration over the estate of the late Alao-Akala was illegally obtained by the duo to the exclusion of Toyin, being the first child and who by law should be one of the administrators, except she decline to act.”
According to a letter from the law firm of Dipo Olasope and co, “Toyin, who is the first child of late Alao-Akala, has been sidelined in the scheme of things. Olamide, her mother and two other siblings, including Olamiju Alao-Akala, who is a serving House of Representatives member, Kemi, who was first lady during the tenure of Alao-Akala as Governor and her son, Olamikunle, are working in unison to appropriate the estate of the deceased among the six of them, thereby disenfranchising other legitimate children of Alao-Akala from benefiting from the estate of their late father.”
The letter also revealed that the defendants, Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alao, after approaching the probate registry of the state High Court, Ring Road, Ibadan, to process the illegal letter of administration, without the consent of Toyin, who is the first child of the family, dealt wrongly and illegally with the assets of the deceased Alao-Akala.
A 21-day notice was issued to the defendants to amend the letter of administration to accommodate Toyin and correct other anomalies therein, while another seven days’ notice was issued as required by law before the claimant approached the Court to seek legal redress.
That the claimant, being the first biological daughter of late Adebayo Alao-Akala (deceased), is entitled to inherit and have an equal share (if not more) in the estate of late Adebayo Alao-Akala, who died intestate on January 12, 2022.
A declaration that the defendants have no right whatsoever to deny the claimant her bon-fide right(s), interest, and entitlement to the estate of late Adebayo Alao-Akala.
A declaration that the letter of administration granted to the defendants by the state High Court on October 6, 2022, in connection with late Adebayo Alao-Akala’s estate was fraudulently and illegally obtained and, therefore, illegal, null and void, among other reliefs sought from the court.