After 26 years without a substantive monarch, 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 of the state.

The approval was given at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, according to a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun.

The appointment brings to an end a prolonged vacancy in the traditional stool, which has remained unoccupied since 2000 following years of disputes and litigation over the succession process.

The Owa of Oke-Ako Ekiti is a recognised chieftaincy governed by a Chieftaincy Declaration produced by the Oyewole Chieftaincy Review Commission. The declaration provides for two ruling houses — Aofin and Okediosan — to rotate the traditional stool.

Olatunbosun said the immediate past Owa was from the Okediosan Ruling House, making the Aofin Ruling House next in line to produce the new monarch.

He explained that the Aofin Ruling House comprises three stocks — Oke-Aofin, Odo-Aofin and Afata, which had been embroiled in about 25 years of litigation over their entitlement to present candidates for the stool.

According to him, 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 reached a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ensuring equity and preserving communal harmony.

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

The Commissioner said the selection process was conducted in accordance with tradition and the rule of law, including the Ifa divination exercise, before Prince Oni emerged as the unanimous choice of the four participating kingmakers.

“He was subsequently declared the Owa-elect of Oke-Ako Ekiti,” he said.

Born on March 2, 1974, Prince Oni holds a Higher National Diploma in Business Administration and Management from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti.

The State Executive Council also authorised the publication of the Legal Notice of his appointment in the Ekiti State Government Gazette.

The government expressed the expectation that the appointment would restore the traditional institution of Oke-Ako Ekiti after more than two decades without a substantive occupant, while providing a new foundation for unity, stability and development in the community. (Nigerian Tribune)