… Says directive to abandon voting violates gazetted declaration

A concerned stakeholder of Aramoko-Ekiti, the headquarters of the Ekiti West Local Council Area of Ekiti State, Omojola-Martins Ademulegun, has stated that the state government is in violation of its own gazetted chieftaincy declaration over an alleged attempt to alter the selection rules for the new Alara of the ancient town.

According to Ademulegun, the directive of the government to abandon voting in favour of exclusive Ifa divination, constitutes what he described as an unlawful amendment of the law.

The public affairs analyst in a statement emphasised that the government’s intervention came after the selection process had already advanced under the registered and gazetted Ekiti State Chieftaincy Declaration 2024, making it binding on all parties, including the state government.

The Deputy Governor, Monisade Afuye, had, in a statement through her special assistant on media, Victor Ogunje, directed that the process must proceed through Ifa consultation, ruling out voting.

While disclosing that the government has no preferred candidate, the deputy governor justified the directive by describing voting as “a fertile ground for bribery and manipulation,” which she said the Governor Biodun Oyebanji-led administration “detests and is strongly averse to.”

Contestants from the Olokun Ruling House were screened, with three princes, Tope Ademiluyi, Femi Akinlabi, and Adewumi Adetoyinbo, purportedly emerging through Ifa divination as required by the declaration.

The 12 kingmakers subsequently voted, producing a tied result of six votes each for Prince Ademiluyi and Prince Akinlabi, while Prince Adetoyinbo received no votes, with the process allegedly supervised by top government officials, including the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, the Permanent Secretary, the Director of Chieftaincy Affairs, the Local Government Chairman, and the Secretary to the Local Government.

However, Ademulegun, in the statement titled “Alara of Aramoko: Why Ekiti Govt Must Obey Its Own Law and Not Shift the Goalposts,” rejected the government’s position, arguing that the Deputy Governor’s position represents a policy opinion, not law, and that the directive contradicts Article F of the Aramoko Declaration, which he said provides for voting and a casting vote mechanism to break ties.

Ademulegun further warned that the government’s approach invites endless litigation, citing previous court rulings that nullified chieftaincy processes where government deviated from registered declarations.

While proposing solutions to resolve the crisis and preserve peace and legality in the ancient kingdom, he called on the Ekiti State Government to direct a return to the declaration by reconvening the 12 kingmakers under supervision and enforcing Article F(iv), compelling the Head of Kingmakers to exercise the casting vote to break the 6-6 tie as the law mandates.

The statement read in parts, ”
“Out of 8 contestants from the Olokun Ruling House, 3 scaled through via Ifa divination as required by the Declaration. The 12 Kingmakers then voted.

“The exercise was supervised by top government officials, including the commissioner for chieftaincy affairs, permanent secretary, director, LG chairman, and secretary to LG. So government cannot claim ignorance of the stage reached. At this point, the process had moved beyond “screening” into “selection by voting” as contemplated by the Declaration.

“Nowhere in Article F does it say “no voting after Ifa.” In fact, F(iv) and F(v) presuppose voting. You cannot have a “casting vote” or “simple majority” without voting. To now ban voting is to amend the Declaration by press statement. That is not how laws are amended in Ekiti State.

“Retroactive Effect: You cannot start a process under Rule A, reach 90% completion, and then switch to Rule B because you don’t like the outcome. That violates the principle of legitimate expectation and a fair hearing. The 3 princes and 12 kingmakers acted based on the Declaration as it is.

“The Declaration requires Ifa to “sanction” candidates from the ruling house. It was done. It does not say Ifa must now pick 1 out of 3 after voting has occurred and a tie emerged. To insert that now is to rewrite history.

“This is not about supporting any prince. It is about supporting or obeying your own law. To preserve peace and legality, the Ekiti State Government should reconvene the 12 kingmakers under supervision.

“Compel the Head of Kingmakers to exercise the casting vote to break the 6-6 tie, as the law mandates. Document everything on video for transparency, as was done during the Ifa stage.

“Aramoko-Ekiti is not just another town. It is a historic Yoruba kingdom. Its headship must not be determined by administrative fiat but by law and custom.”