Padnel Ovin was a male Klatooinian freedom fighter who assumed leadership of the Sapience Defense Front following the death of his brother and predecessor, Grunel. When Klatooine became a member world of the Galactic Alliance, Padnel was chosen to represent the interest of his homeworld as its first representative in the Senate on Coruscant. After the Jedi Order declared itself an independent power from the Galactic Alliance, the ruling Triumvirate collapsed, and thus the Senate was forced to re-institute the suspended Office of the Chief of State.
In the Senate's rush to stabilize the executive branch of the government, Padnel Ovin was elected as the new Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance. Despite being hastily sworn into office, Ovin was well aware that his voters simply chose him because of their desire to control the executive branch by electing a powerless figurehead. As a result, he selected former triumvir Wynn Dorvan as his Chief of Staff. He also aligned himself with the clandestine organization known as Club Bwua'tu to strengthen his fragile hold on power.
Despite Chief Ovin's steps to consolidate his new role, his administration was extremely short-lived. The dark side entity known as Abeloth killed Ovin in a bid to take his place as leader of the Galactic Alliance. Disguised as Rokari Kem, a senator of the planet Qaras who had been absorbed by the entity, Abeloth used Kem's popularity and her own powers of persuasion to become the next elected Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance.