Ogun 2027: Yayi, Hunye clash over Ekiti origin claim

The battle for the 2027 governorship ticket in Ogun State took a fresh controversial twist on Tuesday as the All Progressive Congress, APC, gubernatorial candidate, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, and his party man, Abayomi Hunye, clashed over allegations about the senator’s true state of origin.

Senator Adeola, who represents Ogun West and is the party’s consensus governorship candidate threatened to sue Hunye and a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain, Ambassador Folake Marcus-Bello, for claiming on national television that he is an Ekiti indigene.

The threat was contained in a press statement issued on Tuesday by his Media Adviser, Kayode Odunaro, who said both Hunye and Marcus-Bello granted interviews on Channels Television where they made libelous claims without evidence.

Adeola, who said he watched the interviews in disbelief, gave the duo 24 hours to publicly present evidence of their allegations or face lawsuits for statements widely circulated on other media platforms.

He said, “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.”

He also accused Marcus-Bello of lying about the locations of his parents’ graves as if she was part of the undertakers, describing the claims as a futile effort to justify an unsustainable falsehood.

The statement noted that the senator’s Ekiti origin allegation is not new as the same rumour was weaponised in 2023 as propaganda to stop him from emerging as Senator for Ogun West.

Adeola’s camp believes the resurrection of the claim is linked to his “seemingly unstoppable move to a victorious outing” in the 2027 governorship race.

Responding swiftly, Hunye said he welcomes the threatened lawsuit with open arms and is ready to meet Adeola in court.

In a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Femi Oyewale, Hunye said Adeola’s threat is a political jamboree and a diversionary tactic to bully dissenting voices, adding that the matter is already before a court of competent jurisdiction.

“We want to state categorically that we welcome the threat of a lawsuit with open arms. Threatening us with a lawsuit is like a political jamboree designed to make noise in the public,” Hunye said.

Hunye argued that the issue of a candidate’s origin and eligibility is a constitutional concern, not a private affair, and touches on the integrity of democratic institutions and the right of Ogun people to a leader whose roots are indisputably local.

He maintained that truth is an absolute defence against libel and dared Adeola to save his energy for the courtroom where evidence is tested, not on pages of newspapers or sponsored broadcast interviews.

“We will present robust, verifiable facts and documentary evidence substantiating our claims regarding his alleged Ekiti ancestry. The courtroom is where facts, not political titles, will speak.

“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,” the statement added.

Hunye assured members of the public that he will not be cowed by intimidation or legal blackmail, saying, “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.”