Aiyedatiwa Installs Bolorunduro’s First Ekigbade

Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa on Monday presented the staff of office and instrument of appointment to Professor Thompson Akinyele Akinnifesi as the pioneer Ekigbade of Bolorunduro in Ondo East Local Government Area, charging the new monarch to prioritise peace, unity and development while warning against the use of traditional authority to settle scores.

The ceremony, held in the community, formalised Akinnifesi’s emergence as the first recognised traditional ruler of Bolorunduro under the newly elevated stool. The governor urged the monarch to exercise restraint and deploy the instruments of office solely for cohesion rather than victimisation of perceived opponents.

“With the formal presentation of the instrument of appointment and staff of office, the instrument should be employed to strengthen the peace and cohesion of your domain and not to be used to victimise perceived opponents or adversaries,” Aiyedatiwa said. He expressed hope that the reign would usher in accelerated growth for the town.

He specifically appealed to the five founding families and ruling houses, as well as all sons and daughters of Bolorunduro, to set aside the rivalries that marked the selection process and rally behind the new monarch.

The Ekigbade stool was among the chieftaincies newly recognised under Part One of the Chiefs Law of Ondo State following the government’s acceptance of recommendations from the Justice C. E. T. Ajama Commission of Inquiry into chieftaincy matters. The previous Oloja of Bolorunduro, Chief Johnson Eniola Akinlosotu Johnson, died in September 2021. Efforts to fill the vacancy thereafter were complicated by contentions and litigation.

A stakeholders’ meeting convened by Ondo East Local Government Chairman Hon. Joshua Ogunduyilemi, with input from the Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom, Oba Victor Adesimbo Kiladejo Jilo III, established five ruling houses drawn from the founding families. Because the stool lacked a registered chieftaincy declaration, selection proceeded under native law and custom. Representatives of the town’s 10 quarters, acting as kingmakers, unanimously chose Professor Akinnifesi of the Akinyefesi family on 17 April 2026. The State Executive Council approved the appointment on 7 September 2026 after confirming compliance with due process and the Chiefs Law.

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Alhaji Amidu Takuro emphasised that the governor had never interfered in the selection of traditional rulers.

“The governor of Ondo State has never for once interfered in the emergence of any Obaship candidate in Ondo State. He has always said that the interest of the people should be our interest,” Takuro stated, adding that Akinnifesi’s emergence was driven by the people of Bolorunduro rather than government manipulation. He noted that the ministry is implementing the directive to fill vacant stools lawfully.

Ogunduyilemi described traditional institutions as vital partners in peaceful coexistence, dispute resolution and grassroots development, while praising the governor’s developmental efforts in the local government.

In his acceptance speech, Oba Akinnifesi thanked the governor, the Osemawe, his family and the five founding houses. He pledged inclusive and peaceful leadership, appealed for electricity and potable water after decades of deprivation, and invited investors into agriculture, real estate, tourism and industry. He called on indigenes at home and in the diaspora to unite for the community’s progress.

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The governor also stressed the need for traditional rulers and residents to support security efforts against banditry, kidnapping and related threats, urging the new monarch to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly.

Dignitaries at the event included APC State Chairman Hon. Kolawole Babatunde, Commissioner for Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations Otunba Wale Akinlosotu, Special Adviser on Rural and Community Development Otunba Ade Adeniyi, local government chairmen, religious leaders and other traditional rulers.

The installation comes against the backdrop of a long-running succession dispute. A rival claimant, Samuel Oladipupo Fawehinmi, has maintained that the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s administration appointed him Adegbalu of Bolorunduro in a November 2022 letter. He and others instituted Suit No. HOD/53/2023 challenging the process, listing Akinnifesi among the defendants. Following the September 2026 Executive Council approval of Akinnifesi, Fawehinmi rejected the move, described it as contrary to the rule of law amid pending litigation, and sought court orders to restrain installation. Proceedings continued into October 2026, with the matter adjourned further.

Government officials have consistently maintained that the selection of Akinnifesi followed due process under the community’s native law and custom and the extant Chiefs Law after the stool’s formal recognition.

The presentation of the staff of office marks a formal milestone for Bolorunduro even as the community navigates the lingering legal and traditional questions surrounding the stool.