Ogun 2027: Yayi, Hunye Clash Over Claims Of Ekiti Ancestry

The 2027 All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, and fellow party aspirant Abayomi Hunye have clashed over allegations concerning Adeola’s state of origin.

The disagreement followed Adeola’s threat to sue Hunye and Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Folake Marcus-Bello, over what he described as “libellous and false statements” about him and his family during separate appearances on national television.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Kayode Odunaro, Adeola alleged that Hunye and Marcus-Bello, a former Nigerian ambassador to Zambia and Malawi, claimed that he was an indigene of Ekiti State, among other statements he described as libellous.

The senator subsequently gave both politicians 24 hours to publicly provide evidence backing their claims about his state of origin or face legal action. He said the allegations had also been widely circulated across other media platforms.

Hunye, however, maintained his position that Adeola was from Ekiti State and not Ogun, saying he welcomed the senator’s decision to pursue the matter in court.

In a statement by his media aide, Femi Oyewale, Hunye described Adeola’s legal threat as a political jamboree intended to generate publicity.

“We are more than ready to meet Senator Adeola in a court of competent jurisdiction. Interestingly, it seems they are not well informed that the matter is already in court.

“Threatening us with a lawsuit, therefore, is like a political jamboree designed to make noise in the public,” Hunye said.

Marcus-Bello also defended her position during a live television programme, saying she had documentary evidence to support her claim.

“Senator Olamilekan is not from Yewa. It saddens me as a mother, as a politician, as a Nigerian that people will come out and tell blatant lies because they want a particular thing,” she said.

The former commissioner for women affairs said the Yewa people deserved the governorship and should be represented by “a genuine son or daughter of the soil.”

Adeola, reacting to the claims, said he had watched “in utter disbelief” as people he barely knew made what he described as “assertive and outrageous lies” about his origin without proof.

“One falsely claimed on TV that I am from Ekiti, and when asked where exactly in Ekiti, went moronically blank and could not provide an answer.

“The other one was lying about the locations of the graves of my parents as if she was part of the undertakers at the burial, all in a futile effort to justify an unsustainable falsehood. Enough is enough. They should produce their evidence in 24 hours or be ready for my lawsuits,” he said.

While welcoming the proposed legal action, Hunye accused Adeola of using the threat of a lawsuit to divert attention from questions about his identity and eligibility to govern Ogun State.

READ ALSO:

He alleged that Ogun West had long been subjected to intimidation, high-handedness and attempts to suppress opposing views through media propaganda and sponsored attacks.

Hunye described Adeola’s 24-hour ultimatum and legal threat as “nothing more than a familiar diversionary tactic and a media gimmick” aimed at intimidating dissenting voices and avoiding public accountability.

He maintained that the origin and eligibility of a political candidate were constitutional matters rather than private issues.

“The issue of a candidate’s origin and eligibility is a matter of constitutional concern, not a private affair. It touches on the integrity of our democratic institutions and the aspirations of the good people of Ogun State, who deserve a leader whose roots and allegiance are indisputably local.

“We wish to remind the senator and his media handlers that truth is an absolute defence against libel. Rather than engaging in empty threats and grandstanding on national television, Senator Adeola should save his energy and approach the court immediately.

“We assure the public that we will not be cowed by intimidation or legal blackmail.

“In court, we will present robust, verifiable facts and documentary evidence substantiating our claims regarding his alleged Ekiti ancestry. The courtroom is where evidence is tested, not the pages of newspapers or sponsored broadcast interviews,” he said.

Hunye also urged residents of Ogun State, particularly those in Ogun West, to remain calm, saying that “the era of hoodwinking the electorate with superficial political gimmicks is over.”

Meanwhile, lawyer and former member of the House of Representatives, Kayode Oladele, faulted Marcus-Bello over her comments on Adeola’s ancestry.

In a separate statement, Oladele argued that Marcus-Bello’s claim that Adeola was from Ekiti State was a serious assertion that should be backed by credible evidence.

“Since Marcus-Bello is the one alleging that Senator Adeola is from Ekiti State, the burden is on her to prove the assertion with credible evidence. She cannot simply manufacture an ancestry for another person and then expect that person to disprove her allegation,” he said.

Oladele described Marcus-Bello’s claims as inaccurate and contradictory, insisting that Adeola’s paternal ancestral roots were established in Pahayi and Isaga Orile, in Yewa South and Abeokuta North Local Government Areas of Ogun State respectively.

He added that the comments were not merely a personal attack on Adeola but also an affront to the people of Yewa and Ogun West, who elected him to the Senate.

“The people of Ogun West voted for Senator Yayi as one of their own. They know him, and they know his roots. It is therefore condescending for anyone to suggest that the people of Ogun West do not know who belongs to them.

“They did not require Ambassador Marcus-Bello to tell them who their son was when they elected him to the Senate, where he currently chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations, and the good people of Ogun State certainly do not require that historical misadventure now,” he said.

Oladele noted that disputes over the origins of governorship candidates were not new in Ogun politics, citing similar claims previously made against former governors Gbenga Daniel, Olusegun Osoba and Ibikunle Amosun.

“Otunba Gbenga Daniel was at one time linked by opponents to Delta State, yet Ogun people elected him governor twice. Interestingly, Ambassador Marcus-Bello herself served under his administration, and it was OGD that nominated her for the ambassadorial position.

“Chief Olusegun Osoba also faced similar claims linking him with Osogbo, while Senator Ibikunle Amosun was confronted with speculation about his northern origin. Yet Ogun people made their constitutional choices and elected them as governors,” he said.

Oladele said he was surprised that a former diplomat had adopted what he described as a “xenophobic political argument”.

“When we begin to divide Nigerians into those who are sufficiently indigenous to seek elective office and those who are supposedly outsiders, even where they satisfy the Constitution, we are travelling down a dangerous road,” he said.

He further said Adeola’s family ties were publicly demonstrated during the funeral of Michael Ogundimu, whom he described as the head of Adeola’s family, at Pahayi-Ilaro the previous weekend.

“Ambassador Marcus-Bello is entitled to campaign for her candidate, but she should do so on facts, issues and records. Political disagreement should not become an excuse for promoting exclusion. On Yayi’s origin and on the Constitution, she goofed abysmally,” Oladele said.

He added, “Notwithstanding all these attacks against him, Senator Adeola will win convincingly in the forthcoming governorship election in Ogun State, to the chagrin of the PDP. The people will ultimately decide this election on performance, capacity, competence and confidence in the candidates.”

Tags: Yayi