By Ghazali Ibrahim
The family of late former Oyo State governor, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, has been thrust into public controversy as his eldest daughter and first child, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, has filed a motion before an Oyo State High Court seeking a DNA test on seven individuals claiming to be biological children of the deceased.
She is also requesting the exhumation of her father’s remains to facilitate the test.
Filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12 at the state High Court in Ring Road, Ibadan, the motion marked I/443/2024, details Oluwatoyin’s demand—through her counsel, Oladipo Olasope (SAN)—for a court-ordered paternity test to be conducted at an accredited laboratory.
The individuals named include herself, Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju (a member of the House of Representatives), Tabitha, and Olamikunle.
Oluwatoyin is also asking the court to direct that the DNA results be submitted under seal directly to the presiding judge and publicly pronounced in court.
Central to her application is a request to exhume the late governor’s body from the private mausoleum at his Ogbomoso home to obtain genetic material required for the paternity verification.
The move adds a dramatic new twist to what has become a high-profile and emotionally charged family feud over the vast estate left behind by Alao-Akala, who died intestate on January 12, 2022.
The dispute, which had simmered beneath the surface, spilled into public view in October 2022 after Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, believed to be daughters of the late governor, obtained a Letter of Administration from the Oyo State Probate Registry without the knowledge of Oluwatoyin.
She contends that the act was a deliberate and unlawful exclusion from the estate’s administration, prompting her legal response.
The case is yet to be assigned a hearing date.
