Ekiti community insists on kingmakers’ vote for monarch selection

A dispute has emerged in Aramoko Ekiti, Ekiti State, over the selection process for the next Alara of Aramoko Kingdom, with stakeholders firmly asserting that kingmakers must elect the new monarch through voting.

This stance directly challenges a directive from the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, who proposed a fresh consultation of the Ifa oracle as the final step. Stakeholders argue that this proposal deviates from the established legal and customary framework governing the selection. A communique signed by representatives of the Alara-in-Council and the Aramoko Development Association stated that the "Alara-elect should emerge through voting by the duly constituted kingmakers."

“

the Alara-elect should emerge through voting by the duly constituted kingmakers.

The Alara stool has been vacant since August 9, 2025, after the passing of Oba Olu Adeyemi. Initially, eight eligible princes participated in a customary Ifa divination on April 23, 2026, which recommended three candidates. A subsequent voting exercise among kingmakers resulted in a tie between two of these princes, leading to an adjournment. It was after this tie that the Deputy Governor suggested a new oracle consultation.

Stakeholders, including chiefs, retired public servants, academics, and community leaders, convened to address the inconclusive selection. They resolved that the outcome of the April 23rd divination, which identified the three most qualified princes, should be considered valid and binding, paving the way for the kingmakers' vote to determine the successor.

“

The instruction is that the government will midwife a selection process through Ifa divinati