New Twist in Alao Akala’s Family Catastrophe

Christopher Alao-Akala was a jolly good fellow during his lifetime. He was one of the few politicians who rose from the lower rungs of the ladder to the top, advancing from a local government chairman in Ogbomoso North Local Government to the deputy governor of Oyo State, and eventually becoming the governor of the state.

Although he couldn’t serve beyond a single term of four years as governor, he established himself as one of the politicians who held sway in the state, as well as the South-west of Nigeria.

Generous, flamboyant and colourful, he definitely enjoyed life to the hilt. He was undoubtedly fulfilled, and he left a legacy in the Oyo’s political climate.

But despite his seemingly beautiful legacy, the deceased politician would turn in his grave if he could look back and see how sharply divided his family has become over his estate.

In the past three years since his sudden departure from Mother Earth, there has reportedly been no love lost among his seven children.

It was gathered that at the beginning of the crisis, many had thought it would be resolved as early as possible. But rather than abate, the Akala family crisis has blown into a full-scale battle.

As gathered by Society Watch, the crisis that has been looming silently since his burial, became noticeable in 2022 when his wife, KemiAlao-Akala and OlamideAlabi, one of the deceased’s daughters, obtained a Letter of Administration from the Oyo State Probate Registry without the knowledge or consent of MrsOluwatoyinAlao-Aderinto,  the deceased’s first child.

This singular act, she claimed, was a deliberate and unlawful exclusion that contravened applicable laws guiding intestate succession in Nigeria.

Oluwatoyin then accused KemiAlao-Akala, her step-mother and OlamideAlabi of manipulating facts to claim sole control over the estate, despite the presence of other biological children and heirs.

In a new twist to the crisis, the first daughter, MrsAlao-Aderinto, is seeking a court order for her father’s body to be exhumed.

Through a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, OladipoOlasope, she has approached an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, seeking an order for a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) tests on seven individuals claiming to be biological children of the deceased, as well as an application for the exhumation of the late governor’s body to carry out the DNA test.

In a suit filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12 at the state high court, Ring Road, Ibadan, with Motion Number I/443/2024, Alao-Aderinto is praying the court to direct that the DNA tests be carried out on herself, including Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju, a serving member of the House of Representatives, Tabitha and Olamikunle, as 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 governor.

As part of the application, she is also seeking an order of the court, directing the exhumation of Alao-Akala’s remains from the mausoleum built in his Ogbomoso country home to carry out the paternity test.

The estate at the root of the battle is said to be massive, spreading across several properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, the United Kingdom and the United States, including a five-star hotel in Ghana, vehicles and multiple bank accounts containing hundreds of millions of naira, dollars and pounds sterling.