The battle for the 2027 governorship ticket in Ogun State has taken a fresh turn, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, threatening legal action over claims that he is of Ekiti origin.
Adeola’s threat has drawn a firm response from fellow APC aspirant Abayomi Hunye, who said he was ready to meet the senator in court and would defend his claim with documentary evidence.
The dispute also involves a former Nigerian ambassador to Zambia and Malawi, Folake Marcus-Bello, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who has publicly questioned Adeola’s Yewa ancestry.
Adeola, through his Special Adviser on Media, Kayode Odunaro, said on Tuesday that Hunye and Marcus-Bello made what he described as “libellous and false statements” about his origin during separate television appearances.
The senator alleged that the two politicians claimed he was an indigene of Ekiti State, among other assertions he considered defamatory.
He subsequently issued a 24-hour ultimatum to both individuals to provide evidence backing their claims or face legal proceedings.
Adeola said the statements had gained wider circulation after being broadcast on national television and subsequently reproduced on other media platforms.
Reacting to the claims, he said he watched the broadcasts “in utter disbelief”, particularly the assertion that he was from Ekiti.
“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,” Adeola said.
He also accused Marcus-Bello of making claims concerning the locations of his parents’ graves in an attempt to support what he described as an “unsustainable falsehood”.
“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.
Hunye, however, said he would not withdraw his position and welcomed the prospect of a legal battle.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Femi Oyewale, the APC aspirant said the senator’s threat would not deter him from discussing what he described as an issue of public interest.
“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,” Hunye said.
He described the threatened lawsuit as “a political jamboree designed to make noise in the public”.
According to Hunye, questions surrounding a political candidate’s origin and eligibility should be subjected to public scrutiny, particularly during an election season.
He accused Adeola of attempting to use legal threats to silence critics and divert attention from the issue.
“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,” Hunye said.
He maintained that he would present what he described as “robust, verifiable facts and documentary evidence” if the matter went before the court.
“The courtroom is where evidence is tested, not the pages of newspapers or sponsored broadcast interviews,” he said.
Marcus-Bello had earlier raised the issue during a live television programme, insisting that documentary evidence existed to support her position.
“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.
She also argued that the Yewa people should produce the next governor of Ogun State and should be represented by “a genuine son or daughter of the soil”.
The controversy has attracted comments from lawyer and former member of the House of Representatives, Kayode Oladele, who rejected Marcus-Bello’s claim concerning Adeola’s ancestry.
Oladele argued that because Marcus-Bello made the allegation, she should be prepared to substantiate it.
“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.
He maintained that Adeola’s paternal roots were firmly established in Pahayi and Isaga Orile, in Yewa South and Abeokuta North Local Government Areas of Ogun State respectively.
Oladele also pointed to Adeola’s election to the Senate by voters in Ogun West, arguing that the electorate had already demonstrated familiarity with his background.
“The people of Ogun West voted for Senator Yayi as one of their own. They know him, and they know his roots,” he said.
The former lawmaker recalled that similar questions about the origins of politicians had featured in previous Ogun governorship contests.
He cited former governors Gbenga Daniel, Olusegun Osoba and Ibikunle Amosun as politicians who, according to him, had faced claims concerning their origins during their political careers.
Oladele warned against turning questions of ancestry into a basis for political exclusion.
“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 added that Adeola’s family ties to Ogun were recently on display when relatives and associates gathered at Pahayi-Ilaro for the funeral of Michael Ogundimu, whom he described as the head of Adeola’s family.
Oladele said political opponents were free to challenge Adeola but should focus their campaigns on issues, records and policies rather than ancestry.
“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,” he said.
The controversy comes as politicians and political parties in Ogun State intensify preparations for the 2027 governorship election, with the battle for the governorship increasingly intersecting with debates over regional representation.
While Adeola has demanded evidence and threatened legal action, Hunye has indicated that he is prepared to defend his position in court. The competing claims over the senator’s ancestry therefore remain a matter of dispute between the parties involved.
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