Ogun 2027: He is not from Yewa, Ex-Ambassador challenges Yayi’s ancestry + Video
The battle over who succeeds Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2027 has taken a new turn as former Nigerian Ambassador to Zambia and Malawi, Folake Marcus-Bello, challenged the ancestry of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Ogun State, Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.
In a televised interview on Channels Television, Marcus-Bello, a former Commissioner for Women Affairs in the state, claimed that documentary evidence was available to support her position.
Marcus-Bello said, “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 important to the 2027 governorship contest because the Yewa people deserved an opportunity to produce a governor, having never occupied the position, but insisted that the candidate must be 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,” she said.
Marcus-Bello subsequently challenged Adeola to a public debate, saying she had documents which, according to her, contradicted his claim of Yewa ancestry.
She said, “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.”
The former diplomat also referred to Adeola’s political history, noting that his political career began and developed in Lagos before he moved his political ambition to Ogun West.
She further cited his father’s background and the burial of his mother in Epe as part of her argument that his roots were 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 indigenous status matters for Ogun’s peculiar politics.
“The local politics of Ogun State is reserved for the indigenes of Ogun State. It is not an all-comers game,” she emphasised.
“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.
