Yayi Ancestry Row: Stepmother Sets Record Straight as Legal Battle Looms

Summary: The controversy over Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi)’s state of origin has intensified ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election. His stepmother has clarified that she—not Yayi’s parents—hails from Ekiti State. Meanwhile, Yayi has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to his accusers, four lawsuits against his candidacy have been withdrawn, and the dispute has become a central issue in the developing political contest.

In a development that adds a new dimension to the dispute, Alhaja Aminatu Abiola, the stepmother of the APC governorship candidate, has come forward to clarify the family’s background. According to her statement, she herself hails from Ekiti State—not Yayi’s father or mother. Yayi’s father, popularly known as Oteko, and his mother are both from Ogun State. This intervention directly addresses the core allegation that Yayi is of Ekiti ancestry.

The controversy has been driven primarily by two political figures: Abayomi Hunye, a suspended APC member from Ipokia Local Government Area, and Folake Marcus-Bello, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Zambia and Malawi and PDP chieftain. Both appeared on Channels Television, alleging that Senator Adeola is an Ekiti State indigene rather than a son of Ogun soil. Marcus-Bello further claimed to possess documentary evidence, specifically citing the funeral brochure of Yayi’s father, which she said contains his Oriki (praise poetry) and progeny. She also alleged that Yayi’s mother was buried in Epe, Lagos State.

Speaking on the programme, Marcus-Bello stated: “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 challenged Yayi to a public confrontation, saying: “Let him come and sit in front of me. We would bring the documentation that I have.”

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Senator Adeola reacted with a strongly worded statement through his Media Adviser, Kayode Odunaro, giving his accusers 24 hours to publicly present evidence or face libel lawsuits. The statement read: “I watched in utter disbelief as these characters that I hardly know utter assertive and outrageous lies about my origin without any 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.” He described the other accuser as “lying about the locations of the graves of my parents as if she was part of the undertakers at the burial.”

Yayi’s camp has consistently maintained that he is a bona fide indigene of Ogun State. According to Odunaro, the senator is historically a native of Isaga-Orile in Yewa, whose families were dispersed by the Dahomey War to places including Ilaro and Lagos. APC chieftain and lawyer Kayode Oladele elaborated further, stating that Adeola’s paternal ancestral roots are firmly established in Pahayi and Isaga Orile, in Yewa South and Abeokuta North Local Government Areas respectively. He cited the recent funeral of Chief Michael Adelani Ogundimu, head of Adeola’s family, as evidence of the senator’s ties to Pahayi. Oladele also drew a key legal distinction: “Yayi has never denied being born and raised in Lagos. However, birthplace is a geographical fact; ancestry is a genealogical fact. One does not erase the other.”

From a constitutional perspective, Oladele argued that the accusations were legally flawed. “Section 177 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, sets out the qualifications for election as governor. Ancestral origin from a particular part of a state is not one of them.” A historical analysis published by Newspot noted that Ilaro itself was a place of refuge following the Dahomey invasion, not the original ancestral homeland. The common ancestral denominator for Yayi’s lineage is Ishaga-Orile, not Ilaro. The analysis stated: “The historically consistent formulation would seem to be: Ishaga-Orile by ancestral origin; Ago-Ishaga/Pahayi, Ilaro by the post-Dahomey settlement of his particular paternal branch; and Lagos by birth, upbringing and much of his adult and political life.”

In a significant boost for Yayi’s candidacy, four major court cases challenging his emergence as the APC governorship candidate have been voluntarily discontinued by the litigants. The cases included Suit No. FHC/AB/CS/87/26 instituted by Professor Awolola Awoniyi pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 2011, discontinued on August 24, 2026, and Suit Nos. FHC/ABJ/CS/844/26, FHC/ABJ/CS/989/2026, and FHC/ABJ/CS/884/26, instituted by officials and members of the Booth Party, Young Progressive Party, Action Democratic Party, and Labour Party, withdrawn on September 7, 2026. Yayi welcomed the development, stating that his focus remained on delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Ogun State.

The dispute is rooted in the unique political geography of Ogun State. Ogun West (Yewaland) has never produced a governor since the state was created in 1976, and many in the zone believe 2027 represents their opportunity. Marcus-Bello articulated this sentiment: “If what you have stated is true, Yewa has a better chance to produce a governor because they have never produced one. But give us—and I am speaking authoritatively also on behalf of Hon. Ladi Adebutu—a real son or daughter of Yewa and we will support that daughter or son of Yewa.” However, Yayi’s supporters view the ancestry controversy as a political smear campaign. Oladele argued: “Questioning Yayi’s ancestry has become a worn-out political cliché and the last refuge of an opposition that has run out of ideas. You cannot defeat a man’s record by rewriting his ancestry.” PDP governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu has also entered the fray, daring Yayi to sue him and claiming he has documents to prove Yayi is not from Ogun State.