Adelabu: I Built My Viral Mansion Before Appointment as Minister

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has refuted a recent report by an online news medium alleging that he constructed a luxury mansion within two years of his appointment as minister, against the backdrop of electricity tariff increases.

In a viral video, the report had claimed that the minister was flaunting an extravagant lifestyle funded through corrupt means, citing the construction of a new mansion allegedly completed during his tenure.

But in a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Femi Awogboro, Adelabu dismissed the report as “false, mischievous, and calculated to tarnish my reputation”.

He clarified that the building project commenced in November 2021 and was completed by August 2023, a month before his appointment as Minister of Power in September 2023. The minister backed his claims with dated photographs documenting the construction process, official building approvals, and other relevant correspondences.

Adelabu said he had long been recognised as a prominent investor in real estate, agriculture, and hospitality, with visible projects across Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and beyond before his appointment.

He explained, in the statement, “I began and completed this project before my appointment. I only moved in this year due to work schedules and timing constraints. The attention arose after a viral video of my hosting of popular Fuji musician, Alhaji Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, following the Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election campaign flag-off.”

He further stated that he had resided in the same location since 2010, when he built and publicly unveiled the original structure during his career as a senior banking and finance executive.

Adelabu said the current property was simply a redevelopment of the old house, undertaken 12 years later to accommodate the increased demands of his political engagements.

He stated, “Everyone is aware of my long-standing investments in hospitality and real estate, both within and outside Oyo State, which have contributed significantly to job creation. Sahara Reporters’ baseless publication is a failed attempt to discredit me and, by extension, undermine the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

He called on the media outlet to “immediately retract this false and misleading report”, warning that failure to do so can compel him to pursue legal action.