Aramoko kingmakers ask Ooni to help end six-month wait for new Alara
- Kingmakers in Aramoko-Ekiti want the Ooni of Ife to urge Governor Oyebanji to let them finish choosing a new Alara.
- The selection began in April 2026 but stalled after the 12 kingmakers split six-six and a second vote was postponed.
- The council says the vacant throne is disrupting festivals and traditional rites in the town.
Kingmakers and indigenes of Aramoko-Ekiti in Ekiti State have asked the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, to step into the stalled selection of a new Alara of Aramoko-Ekiti.
In a statement, the Alara-in-Council urged the Ooni to appeal to Governor Biodun Oyebanji to allow the kingmakers to reconvene and conclude the process. The stool has been vacant for about six months.
The statement was signed by the head of kingmakers, the Asao of Aramoko-Ekiti, High Chief Julius Oladiran Adebayo, and the Sajowa, High Chief Kolade Oyebade, who is secretary. Daily Post named them only by their titles, Chief Asao and Chief Sajowa.
How the selection reached a deadlock
According to the council, the process started in April 2026 under the Alara of Aramoko Chieftaincy Declaration and the Ekiti State Chieftaincy Law.
Three princes were shortlisted after an Ifa consultation conducted by Baba Araba Elebuibon. The 12 kingmakers then voted, and the result was a six-six tie, meaning a second round was needed.
That second vote did not happen. The council said the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs postponed the exercise, and the process has been suspended since. Letters to the state government asking for it to resume have not been answered, the council said.
The kingmakers said the delay is not just a palace matter. Traditional festivals and rites cannot be properly held while the throne is empty, they said. Tribune reported that the council also warned that youths were becoming restive.
Why Ile-Ife is being asked to help
Aramoko-Ekiti, the council said, was founded by descendants of Oduduwa and shares customs, crown and chieftaincy rites with Ile-Ife. That history is why the town is looking to the Ooni as custodian of Yoruba culture and tradition.
The council said it believes the Ooni's intervention would resolve the matter peacefully and strengthen the old ties between Aramoko-Ekiti and Ile-Ife. It also expressed confidence in Governor Oyebanji's respect for the rule of law and traditional institutions.
What happens next
Everything now rests on two responses: whether the Ooni takes up the appeal, and whether the state government lifts the suspension so the kingmakers can hold the second round of voting. Until then, Aramoko-Ekiti has no Alara.
