The Ekiti State Government has approved the appointment of Prince Olarewaju Bamidele Oni as the new Owa of Oke-Ako Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Area of the state.
The approval was granted on Tuesday at a meeting of the Ekiti State Executive Council presided over by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, according to the Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun.
Olatunbosun disclosed this in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, saying the appointment would restore the traditional institution of Oke-Ako after more than two decades without a substantive monarch.
He said the development was expected to provide a fresh platform for unity, stability and development in the community.
The commissioner explained that the Owa of Oke-Ako stool is 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.
According to him, the immediate past Owa came from the Okediosan Ruling House, making the Aofin Ruling House next in line to produce the monarch.
He said the Aofin Ruling House consists of three stocks: Oke-Aofin, Odo-Aofin and Afata.
Olatunbosun said a dispute over the entitlement of the three stocks to present candidates for the stool had resulted in about 25 years of litigation.
He added that the Supreme Court, in a judgment delivered on December 19, 2025, affirmed that every male member of the three stocks was entitled to contest the chieftaincy.
Following the judgment, stakeholders entered into a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at promoting equity and preserving communal harmony.
Under the arrangement, the Oke-Aofin stock, which had never produced an Owa, was allowed to present candidates for the current vacancy, while the Odo-Aofin stock would have the opportunity to present candidates when the Aofin Ruling House next produces the monarch.
The commissioner said the selection process was conducted in accordance with tradition and the rule of law, including an Ifa divination exercise.
He said Prince Oni eventually emerged as the unanimous choice of the four participating kingmakers and was subsequently declared Owa-elect of Oke-Ako Ekiti.
Reacting to the government’s approval, the National Public Relations Officer of the Oke-Ako Progressives Union, Muyiwa Olukosi, congratulated the community and the Aofin Royal Family.
Olukosi described the approval as the conclusion of a prolonged process that had kept the community without a substantive monarch for more than 25 years.
He said the emergence of Prince Oni marked the beginning of a new chapter that would promote unity, peace, stability and development in Oke-Ako Ekiti.
He congratulated the people of Oke-Ako Ekiti, the Aofin Royal Family and the new monarch, His Royal Majesty, Prince Olarewaju Bamidele Oni.
Prince Oni was born on March 2, 1974, and holds a Higher National Diploma in Business Administration and Management from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti.
