The family of the late former Governor of Oyo State, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, is facing an escalating crisis, as his first daughter, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, has taken legal action seeking to verify the paternity of seven individuals claiming to be biological children of the deceased. As part of her application, she is also requesting the court’s permission to exhume the late governor’s remains for DNA testing.
The suit, filed at the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, is before Justice Taiwo of Court 12, with motion number I/443/2024. Represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Oladipo Olasope, Oluwatoyin is requesting that a court-approved and accredited laboratory conduct DNA tests on herself and the seven named individuals: Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju (currently a member of the House of Representatives), Tabitha, and Olamikunle.
She further asked that the results of the DNA tests be submitted in a sealed envelope directly to the presiding judge for an official pronouncement in open court.
This legal move marks a new chapter in an increasingly bitter family feud that has been simmering since Alao-Akala passed away intestate on January 12, 2022. Tensions reportedly came to a head in October 2022, when two family members—Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi—secured a Letter of Administration for the late governor’s estate from the Oyo State Probate Registry without Oluwatoyin’s knowledge or consent.
Oluwatoyin has described their action as a deliberate and unlawful exclusion that violates Nigerian laws on intestate succession. In her affidavit, she accuses the two of manipulating information to assert exclusive control over the estate, sidelining other potential heirs.
The estate in contention is vast, reportedly including multiple properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a luxury hotel in Ghana, several vehicles, and numerous bank accounts holding funds in naira, dollars, and pounds.
According to Oluwatoyin, her stance is not just about securing her share, but ensuring that every legitimate heir—including other biological children, extended family members, loyal aides, and yet-unidentified offspring—is acknowledged and fairly treated. She criticized what she described as a “winner-takes-all” approach by the current administrators of the estate.
Her legal team argues that the list of seven legal heirs recognized by the administrators lacks consensus regarding paternity, raising serious concerns about equity and authenticity. Hence, she is seeking scientific verification through DNA testing to establish the truth.
In an earlier letter made public in August 2023, Oluwatoyin’s counsel warned that excluding the governor’s first daughter from the estate was not only legally questionable but morally wrong. The letter cautioned that the unresolved feud could further divide the family and tarnish the political legacy of the late governor.
As the court prepares to hear the motion, all eyes are on what could become a landmark case in inheritance disputes involving public figures in Nigeria.
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