By Ayodele Oni
Despite the threat of a court action, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Zambia and Malawi, Folake Marcus-Bello, has reopened the debate on the ancestry of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) for the 2027 election in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Adeola, known as Yayi.
Yayi had threatened to go to court over allegation that he is from Ekiti state, except those making the allegation could substantiate it with documentary evidence.
Speaking on a live television programme, the former ambassador, who was a Commissioner for Women Affairs in the state, said there was documentary evidence to prove her point.
“Senator Olamilekan is not from Yewa. He 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 issue was central to the 2027 contest because, according to her, the Yewa people deserve the governorship, but must be represented by a “genuine son or daughter of the soil.
“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. Let us get it clear.”
The former diplomat challenged Adeola to a public confrontation, saying she was in possession of documents that contradict his claim.
“Let him come and sit in front of me. We would bring the documentation that I have — the programme of events of his father’s burial in Ekiti State with his Oriki and his progeny.
“His Oriki is in his father’s burial programme. Let him come and prove otherwise”.
Marcus-Bello noted that Adeola’s political career began and flourished in Lagos before he “moved his ambition” to Ogun West.
She also referenced his father’s background and the burial of his mother in Epe as evidence that his roots “lie outside Yewa.”
However, these claims were presented as part of her argument during the programme and were not independently verified.
According to the former Commissioner, the controversy goes beyond personal politics because indigene status matters for Ogun’s peculiar politics.
“The local politics of Ogun State is reserved for indigenes of Ogun State. It is not an all-comers game.
“Ogun State is peculiar. We are semi-rural. We are not Lagos where people come and claim all sorts of things.”
Marcus-Bello further accused the APC of abusing power and referred to what she called “a book containing allegations” against Adeola, urging his camp to respond.
As the 2027 governorship race gathers momentum, the question of origin has become one major talking point in Ogun politics as indigenes insist “strangers” won’t rule over them.
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