A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming Ondo State governorship election, Olusola Oke, has put to rest the controversy about his marital status.
Oke, who submitted his nomination form at the APC secretariat in Abuja, addressed issues relating to the politics of the First Lady of the State and disclosed that he is a polygamist.
Social media had been awash with criticism from his opponents in Ondo State, urging people not to vote for him because he married an Igbo woman.
They cited the relationship between the immediate past First Lady, Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu, her husband’s family, and leaders of the state as a reason Oke should not win the APC ticket.
A viral post on X making the round on social media reads, “Say no to Olusola Oke, we don’t want another Ibo tyrant first Lady in our place. The last 8 years had been hell under Mrs Betty-Anyanwu Akeredolu, Olusola should simply go to his wife’s state to contest.”
In response, Oke said he understands that “in a contest like this, you don’t expect everybody to be your friend and when they cannot find fault in you, they will look for something.
“First and foremost there is a good population of Ibos in Ondo State who are members of APC, when you say that what you are doing is provoking them to support me.
“In Nigeria, it is unconstitutional for anybody to discriminate against another on the grounds of the circumstances of his birth, his tribe or marriage. So what the person is tweeting is unconstitutional.
“It is not against any law in Nigeria to marry from another section of the country but these people have also forgotten, they keep writing about my junior wife, I am a polygamist.
“They have checked my credentials they know they cannot find fault in terms of relevant requirements, they cannot say that I am not well educated, they cannot question the integrity based on my certificate, they cannot question experience.
“They cannot question my good looks, so they must get something to talk about. Yes the social media is awashed but you will never see me comment. We are talking about competence and the development of the State, you are talking about being married to an Ibo.
“It is a funny story, but the truth of the matter is I married a Yoruba woman first in my life, an Ilaje woman, we have been married for the last 41 years. She is a PhD holder, she has served Ondo State for 35years, even in her right she could be governor of Ondo State, yet when they write, they misinform deliberatly to denigrate my person.
“I haven’t committed any crime and I am happy at the tweet, look at what some said, that the Ibo woman is the most generous woman they had ever seen.
“I have got women, pretty, don’t look at them, they are well mannered women, I have not told anyone who will be my first Lady. Obviously those who write, are not with me.”
