The Ekiti State Government has approved the appointment of Prince Olarewaju Bamidele Oni as the Owa of Oke-Ako Ekiti in the Ikole Local Government Area of the state.
The state Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, made the disclosure in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday.
He said that the approval was granted on Tuesday at the meeting of the Ekiti State Executive Council presided over by Governor Biodun Oyebanji.
Olatunbosun 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 statement added, “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. 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 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 Prince Bamidele Olanrewaju 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, the 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 said in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, “The official approval of Prince 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.”
The Owa-elect, Prince Oni, who was born on March 2, 1974, holds a Higher National Diploma in Business Administration and Management from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti.
