Ekiti State Government has approved the appointment of Olarewaju Bamidele Oni as the Owa of Oke-Ako-Ekiti in Ikole Local Council of the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement in Ado-Ekiti yesterday that the approval was granted on Tuesday at the meeting of the Ekiti State Executive Council, presided over by Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

He said: “The appointment is expected to restore the traditional institution of Oke-Ako-Ekiti after more than two decades without a substantive occupant and provide a new platform for unity, stability and development in the community.”

“The Owa of Oke-Ako-Ekiti is a recognised chieftaincy governed by a Chieftaincy Declaration produced by the Oyewole Chieftaincy Review Commission, which provides for two Ruling Houses, namely, Aofin and Okediosan, to rotate the stool.

“The immediate past Owa hailed from the Okediosan Ruling House, making the Aofin Ruling House next in line to produce the occupant of the stool.

“The Aofin Ruling House comprises three stocks, Oke-Aofin, Odo-Aofin and Afata. The Council was informed that following about 25 years of litigation concerning the entitlement of the three stocks to present candidates for the stool, 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 (MoU) to promote equity and preserve communal harmony. Under the arrangement, the Oke-Aofin stock, which had never produced the Owa, was to present candidates for the current vacancy, while the Odo-Aofin stock would have the opportunity to present candidates at the next turn of the Aofin Ruling House.

“The process was conducted with due regard for tradition, including the Ifa divination exercise and the rule of law, culminating in the emergence of Oni as the unanimous choice of the four participating kingmakers and his subsequent declaration as the Owa-elect of Oke-Ako-Ekiti.”

In a reaction, National Public Relations Officer, Oke Ako Progressives Union, Muyiwa Olukosi, congratulated the people of Oke-Ako-Ekiti on the approval of a new king for the town.

Olukosi, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said: “The official approval of Oni marks the conclusion of a long journey for the people of Oke-Ako-Ekiti. For over 25 years, the community has waited patiently for the emergence of a substantive monarch following years of litigation and uncertainty over the traditional stool.

“His emergence and official approval therefore mark the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Oke-Ako-Ekiti, one that will offer unity, peace, stability and development.”