The Olugbense Ruling House of Offa in Offa Local Council of Kwara State has expressed lack of confidence in the panel of Justices of the Appeal Court hearing the tussle over Olofa stool.

 The Appeal Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, had in July 2013 declared the selection and installation of Anilelerin candidate, Alhaji Mohammed Mufutau Gbadamosi as the Olofa of Offa as illegal.

 Olugbense and Anilelerin are the two ruling houses in the ancient town.

 But the monarch immediately appealed the judgement at the Supreme Court and filed a motion at the Appeal Court for a stay of execution of the order pending the outcome of the apex court judgement.

 Not satisfied with the development, the Olugbense ruling house petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Maryam Mukhtar, alleging bias against it in the litigation at the Appeal Court.

 The three-member panel is headed by Justice Raphael Chikwe Agbo. Other members are Justices Isaiah Olufemi Akeju and Uchechukwu Onyemenam.

 Angered by the petition, Justice Agbo adjourned the case sine die.

 Spokesperson of the Olugbense Ruling House, Prince Saka Keji, said the resumption of the case on Monday this week heightened his earlier suspicion.

 Keji urged the CJN, National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Appeal Court to intervene in the matter to avert injustice.

 The spokesperson told reporters that "the whole matter is suspicious. It heightened our suspicion. We formally requested for our case to be transferred to another set of panel of justices. We don't know the insistence of this same panel hearing this matter."

 "The last time they adjourned, which was October 14 last year, they said they were awaiting instruction from the President of the Court of Appeal. Replying to our petition, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) told us to direct our letter to the Appeal Court president, which we did.

 "We were awaiting the Appeal Court president's reply, but the next thing we saw was notice of hearing. As we had complained before, we don't have confidence in whatever judgement that may come out of it."