Ooni, Oyebanji Asked to Intervene as Family Resists Installation of Female Regent

A chieftaincy dispute is brewing in Aramoko Ekiti, Ekiti West Local Government Area, as the Aba Atiba Chieftaincy family has rejected moves to install a female regent following the passing of the community’s monarch.

The family, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Busuyi Ogunlana, insisted that tradition in Aramoko forbids the installation of a female regent. They argued that, by custom, only candidates from the Aba Atiba lineage are eligible to serve in that role.

According to the statement, attempts to install the late king’s daughter as regent would amount to “tampering with age-long traditions” and could spark unrest in the community. “We are a unique town. We don’t have female regents in Aramoko,” Ogunlana declared. “Any attempt to change this for selfish reasons is capable of setting Aramoko on fire.”

The family therefore appealed to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, to intervene swiftly in the matter before it degenerates into a wider crisis.

This latest development highlights the recurring tension in parts of Ekiti and other Yoruba communities over the succession process after the death of monarchs. While some towns have allowed female regents—usually daughters of late kings—to temporarily hold the throne until a substantive monarch is chosen, others, like Aramoko, maintain that such a practice runs contrary to their unique customs.

The matter has drawn attention not only because of its cultural implications but also for its potential to test the balance between preserving tradition and embracing evolving practices within Yoruba traditional institutions.

As of press time, neither the state government nor the palace of the Ooni of Ife had officially responded to the appeal from the Aba Atiba family.