Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, has threatened to drag two of his political opponents to court over claims that he is an indigene of Ekiti State.
Adeola, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Ogun State, gave Hon. Abayomi Hunye and Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Ambassador Folake Marcus-Bello, 24 hours to produce evidence backing their claims or face libel proceedings.
The senator, who represents Ogun West, issued the ultimatum through his media adviser, Chief Kayode Odunaro, accusing the two politicians of attempting to undermine his political ambition ahead of the 2027 Ogun governorship election.
According to Odunaro, Hunye and Marcus-Bello made the claims during separate interviews on Channels Television programmes.
The media aide said the two alleged that Adeola was originally from Ekiti State but failed to provide evidence to substantiate the claim.
Adeola reacted angrily, describing the allegations as “false and defamatory” and accusing his opponents of trying to create controversy around his identity for political purposes.
“I watched in utter disbelief as these characters that I hardly know utter assertive and outrageous lies about my origin without any proof,” Adeola said.
The senator claimed that one of the accusers alleged on television that he was from Ekiti but could not identify where in the state he supposedly originated from when asked.
Adeola also accused the other of making claims about the locations of his parents’ graves, describing the assertions as part of what he called an attempt to sustain a false narrative about his background.
“Enough is enough. They should produce their evidence in 24 hours or be ready for my lawsuits,” he warned.
The latest controversy comes as political activities intensify in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with Adeola seeking to succeed Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Odunaro alleged that questions over Adeola’s origin had been repeatedly raised during previous campaigns against his senatorial ambition, adding that the issue had resurfaced as he seeks the APC governorship ticket.
Adeola won the Ogun West senatorial seat in the 2023 National Assembly election.
However, the claims by Hunye and Marcus-Bello concerning Adeola’s origin could not be independently verified from the material available.
Their full responses to Adeola’s ultimatum were also not contained in the statement.