Ekiti govt rejects imposition in stool selection, insists on due process

By Boye Oyeyemi –

The Ekiti State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to due process in chieftaincy selections, warning that the imposition and manipulation of traditional stools could trigger unrest and violence if allowed to persist.

The Deputy Governor, Chief Monisade Afuye, stated this in Ado Ekiti while mediating a dispute arising from a petition by the Eruobodo family of Aaye Quarters in Efon Alaaye over the installation of a new Obanla, regarded as the kingdom’s second-in-command.

Afuye explained that the Alaaye Chieftaincy Declarations of 1957 recognise three ruling houses — Adaramoye, Eruobodo and Arojo — as eligible to produce the Obanla, noting that only male descendants are qualified to occupy the stool.

She maintained that, based on the rotational arrangement contained in the state Chiefs Law and the chieftaincy declarations, the Eruobodo family is next in line to produce the Obanla and should not have been sidelined.

According to her, selecting a candidate from another ruling house outside the approved rotation contradicts established tradition and could threaten peace and unity within the community.

As part of efforts to resolve the crisis, Afuye directed the head of the Eruobodo family to appear before the government at the next mediation session to clarify whether the installed Obanla, Chief Wole Oni, truly belongs to the family as claimed.

While the petitioner, Moses Eruobodo, alleged that the installation violated the rotational arrangement and amounted to imposition, the head of the kingmakers, Chief Francis Mogaji, defended the process as lawful.

The Alaaye of Efon, Oba James Aladejare, and the Efon Local Government Chairman, Segun Afolabi, commended the government’s intervention and pledged to pursue an amicable resolution.