The crisis rocking the family of the late former governor of Oyo State, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, has taken a new dimension, as his first daughter, Mrs Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, has sought for Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test on seven individuals claiming to be biological children of Alao-Akala.
Mrs Alao-Aderinto has also filed an application at the Oyo State High Court for the exhumation of the late former governor’s body in order to carry out the DNA test.
In a suit filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12 at the State High Court, Ibadan, with Motion Number 1/443/2024, Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, through her counsel, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oladipo Olasope, prayed the court to direct that DNA test be carried out on herself, and six others, namely Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju, a serving member of the House of Representatives, Tabitha, and Olamikunle.
The names were listed in the Motion on Notice filed before the court and that the test be conducted at a court-approved, accredited laboratory to determine their true biological relationship with the late Alao-Akala.
As part of the application, Oluwatoyin was also seeking an order of court, directing the exhumation of Otunba Alao-Akala’s remains from the mausoleum built in his Ogbomoso country home for the purpose of carrying out the paternity test.
The results of the tests, she pleaded, should be filed under a sealed envelope and delivered directly to the presiding judge for pronouncement in open court.
The fresh application brought before the court has added a new twist in what has become a messy and prolonged family feud over the vast estate of the late Ogbomoso-born politician, who died on January 12, 2022.
The crisis, which had been brewing silently since his burial, became public in October 2022 when one Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, believed to be among the deceased’s daughters, obtained a Letter of Administration from the Oyo State Probate Registry without the knowledge or consent of Oluwatoyin, the first child.
This singular act, she contended, was a deliberate and unlawful exclusion that contravenes applicable laws guiding intestate succession in Nigeria.
In her affidavit and accompanying exhibit filed in support of her motion, she accused the duo of manipulating facts to claim sole control over Alao-Akala estate, despite the presence of other biological children and heirs.
The estate in question is said to be massive properties spread across Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, United Kingdom and the United States of America, including a five-star hotel in Ghana, vehicles and multiple bank accounts containing hundreds of millions in naira, dollars and pounds sterling.
Oluwatoyin’s position on her deceased father’s estate stemmed from her strong resolve at ensuring that every individual, including nuclear and extended family members, aides of the former governor, who served him meritoriously without blemish and yet-to-be identified children, among many others, were catered for, as against the winner-takes-it-all approach adopted by the duo of the defendants.
The said administrators listed only seven individuals as legal heirs, but Oluwatoyin’s position, as articulated by her counsel, was that there is no consensus on the paternity of these persons and that the inclusion of some and exclusion of others in the administration of the deceased’s estate raised troubling questions of authenticity and equity. It is on this basis she sought judicial intervention through scientific means.
It will be recalled that in an August 2023 letter, which was made public, counsel to Oluwatoyin, Oladipo Olasope, SAN, warned that the exclusion of the claimant, who is the first daughter of the late Alao-Akala, violated both moral norms and legal rights, stressing that unless resolved, the dispute could further polarise the family and damage the late former governor Alao-Akala’s political legacy.
