Rather than thaw, the crisis in the family of former Governor of Oyo State, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, has deepened.
Now, the first daughter, Mrs Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, is seeking a court order for her father’s body to be exhumed.
Through a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oladipo Olasope, 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, Oluwatoyin 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 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 is a new twist in what has become a messy and prolonged family feud over the vast estate of the late politician, who died intestate on January 12, 2022.
The crisis, which has been brewing silently since his burial, became public in 2022 when his wife, Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, believed to be one of 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 contend is a deliberate and unlawful exclusion that contravene applicable laws guiding intestate succession in Nigeria.
In her affidavit and accompanying exhibit filed in support of her motion, she accused Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi of manipulating facts to claim sole control over the estate, despite the presence of other biological children and heirs.
The estate in question is said to be massive, spreading across several properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, United Kingdom and the United States (U.S.), 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 stems 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 identified children among many others are 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, is 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 raises troubling questions of authenticity and equity. It is on this basis she seeks judicial intervention through scientific means.
