Ekiti community gets monarch after 25-year chieftaincy dispute

Ekiti State Government has approved the appointment of Prince Olarewaju Oni as the Owa of Oke-Ako Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

The Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday that the approval was granted on Tuesday at the meeting of the Ekiti State Executive Council, presided over by Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

Olatunbosun said, “The appointment is expected to restore the traditional institution of Oke-Ako Ekiti after more than two decades without a substantive occupant and provide a new platform for unity, stability and development in the community.

“The Owa of Oke-Ako Ekiti is a recognised chieftaincy governed by a Chieftaincy Declaration produced by the Oyewole Chieftaincy Review Commission, which provides for two Ruling Houses, namely, Aofin and Okediosan, to rotate the stool.

“The immediate past Owa hailed from the Okediosan Ruling House, making the Aofin Ruling House next in line to produce the occupant of the stool.

“The Aofin Ruling House comprises three stocks, Oke-Aofin, Odo-Aofin and Afata. Council was informed that following about 25 years of litigation concerning the entitlement of the three stocks to present candidates for the stool, the Supreme Court, in a judgment delivered on December 19, 2025, affirmed that every male member of the three stocks was entitled to contest for the chieftaincy.

“Following the judgment, stakeholders entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to promote equity and preserve communal harmony.

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“Under the arrangement, the Oke-Aofin stock, which had never produced the Owa, was to present candidates for the current vacancy, while the Odo-Aofin stock would have the opportunity to present candidates at the next turn of the Aofin Ruling House.

“The process was conducted with due regard for tradition, including the Ifa divination exercise and the rule of law, culminating in the emergence of Prince Bamidele Olanrewaju Oni as the unanimous choice of the four participating kingmakers and his subsequent declaration as the Owa-elect of Oke-Ako Ekiti,” Olatunbosun stated.

Reacting, the National Public Relations Officer, Oke Ako Progressives Union, Muyiwa Olukosi, congratulated the people for the development.

Olukosi said in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, “The official approval of Prince Oni marks the conclusion of a long journey for the people of Oke-Ako Ekiti. For over 25 years, the community has waited patiently for the emergence of a substantive monarch following years of litigation and uncertainty over the traditional stool.

“His emergence and official approval therefore mark the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Oke-Ako Ekiti, one that will offer unity, peace, stability and development.

“Congratulations to the people of Oke-Ako Ekiti. Congratulations to the Aofin Royal Family. Congratulations to the new Owa of Oke-Ako Ekiti, His Royal Majesty, Prince Olarewaju Bamidele Oni,” he stated.

The Owa-elect, Prince Oni, who was born on March 2, 1974, holds a Higher National Diploma in Business Administration and Management from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti.