Ekiti community gets new monarch after 26 years

By Boye Oyeyemi

The Ekiti State Government has approved the appointment of Prince Bamidele Olanrewaju Oni as the new Owa of Oke-Ako Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Area, ending a 26-year vacancy in the traditional stool.

The approval was given at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, the state Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, disclosed in a statement on Wednesday.

The traditional stool had been vacant since 2000 amid prolonged disputes and legal battles over the succession process involving the community’s ruling houses.

According to Olatunbosun, the Owa of Oke-Ako chieftaincy is governed by a declaration that recognises two ruling houses, Aofin and Okediosan, which are expected to rotate the stool. He said the immediate past monarch came from the Okediosan Ruling House, making the Aofin Ruling House eligible to produce the next Owa.

The commissioner explained that the Aofin House comprises Oke-Aofin, Odo-Aofin and Afata stocks, which had been involved in a long-running legal dispute over their rights to produce candidates.

He said the Supreme Court, in its December 19, 2025 judgment, affirmed the eligibility of male members of the three stocks to contest, after which stakeholders reached an agreement to ensure fairness and communal harmony.

He added that the selection process, which included traditional procedures and Ifa divination, produced Prince Oni as the unanimous choice of the four participating kingmakers, leading to his declaration as Owa-elect.

Born on March 2, 1974, the new monarch holds a Higher National Diploma in Business Administration and Management from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. The state government has approved his appointment for publication in the official gazette.