Ilorin — Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin , Kwara State, has upheld the interlocutory injunction of the High Court restraining Alhaji Mohammed Ayo Adebayo from parading himself as the new Balogun Gambari of Ilorin pending the determination of the substantive suit at the lower court.

It would be recalled that the Ilorin Emirate Council headed by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, had on September 23, 2005 allegedly removed Alhaji Abdulkareem Buhari as the Balogun Gambari and replaced him with the new one.

The removed Balogun Gambari headed for the court for a reversal of the action of the emirate council.

But in response, the Ilorin Emirate council and Emir of Ilorin headed for the Appeal Court, praying the court to nullify the interlocutory injunction granted the plaintiffs/applicants.

Delivering an unanimous ruling of the three-man panel on Friday, Justice Iganatus Agube said that the removal of the old Balogun Gambari was illegal and not in compliance with the customs of the Ilorin Emirate council.

Other Justices of the panel are Olufunmilola Adekeye (head of the panel) and Sontonye Denton-West.

Their words "The appeal is hereby dismissed and there is no basis for transferring the case from Justice Banji Orilonise's court."

In his reaction, the applicant, Alhaji Abdulkareem Laro Buhari thanked God for the judgment and expressed optimism that the defendants would obey the court's order this time around.

Buhari, who is already holding court in his private residence located behind his palace lamented that since the lower court gave the first ruling in his favour in 2006 the defendants had ignored the court's ruling.