Adaobi’s Marriage Claim to Ayeni False, Defamatory, Say Lawyers

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March 31, 2025
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* Maintains customary court judgment clarifies misconception, paternity of Adaobi’s daughter

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Lawyers to Dr Tunde Ayeni has described as false and misleading claims by Ms Adaobi Alagwu of ever being married to Ayeni, a former bank managing director.

The lawyers also refuted claims based on an alleged DNA test that Ayeni is the father of Ms Alagwu’s little daughter, Omarosa Abimbila.

Ayeni’s legal representatives, in a statement, emphasized on the need to put the record straight, “in the interest of posterity and to ensure the truth prevails”.

The statement issued Monday, read in part: “On behalf of our client, Dr. Tunde Ayeni, his family, and associates, we unequivocally state his position in alignment with the legally recognized ruling of the Customary Court, Dawaki, Abuja, delivered on March 11, 2025. This landmark decision reaffirms the facts and dispels any misconceptions surrounding this matter”.

According to Joseph Silas, who issued the statement, over the past few months, there have been a series of social media releases by Adaobi Alagwu and her agents, friends, and associates — particularly a statement released from her legal representatives on February 18, 2025.

“These releases contain false narratives and are, in fact, defamatory in content, regarding the matter between Dr. Tunde Ayeni and Ms. Adaobi Alagwu. We now, on behalf of our client, set the records straight and correct the wrong narratives that the public has been fed,” he said.

Silas added that: “There was no marriage between Dr. Tunde Ayeni and Adaobi Alagwu. This has been Ayeni’s position from the beginning, which the court in Abuja, in Suit FCT/CC/CV/DK/M/03/2025, has reaffirmed in its ruling delivered on March 11, 2025.

“The events and what transpired on February 26, 2022, was done out of Ayeni’s magnanimity which the Alagwu family misrepresented to the public as a dowry. This is aside from the fact that Ayeni is legally married under the Act and thus incapable of conducting another legal union with anyone else. Neither has Ayeni ever given a promise of marriage to Adaobi Alagwu at any time.”

On the issue of the paternity of Ms Alagwu’s daughter, the legal representatives pointed out that Ayeni in the suit filed at the Dawaki Customary Court in Abuja, contended that there was no child from the alleged union, while Adaobi counter claimed to the contrary.

They however stated that the court dismissed Alagwu’s counterclaim in its entirety, adding that: “The display of a purported DNA result by Ms. Alagwu is thus of no consequence, as it was a disputed DNA result to which Ayeni did not subscribe. Ayeni insists on not being the father of Omarosa Abimbola. Adaobi Alagwu can argue what she wants, the dignity attached to a child’s recognition is lost and unavailable from Dr. Ayeni to Omarosa.

“The content of Adaobi’s lawyers’ assertion is far from the truth and only speaks to her desperation to cling on Dr Ayeni, his influence and all the largesse she enjoined during their brief stint. Mrs. Abiola Ayeni was never aware of any relationship between her husband and Adaobi.

“The DNA test process was discontinued, and a request was made for an alternative laboratory, which Adaobi declined. Therefore, the DNA being peddled around by Adaobi is disputed and cannot be relied upon. There is absolutely no value that Adaobi can derive from leveraging Mrs. Abiola Ayeni’s name to this process.

“Furthermore, it is absurd for Adaobi and her mother and her associates to continue peddling stories alluding to our client’s actions to his wife or his associates especially when he has boldly signed several disclaimers and taken actions against Adaobi’s relentless antics, the question to ask is where does real value lie? In the public expressions of Dr. Ayeni or that which is done in the secrecy of her mother’s home or hers?”

Speaking further, the legal representatives disclosed that while it was true that Ayeni supported Adaobi’s child’s birth in the United States of America, he was not present during the birth process, adding that he only visited a few days after the delivery of the child and signed the papers for the child all at a time he was gravely mistaken about the paternity of the child.

Besides, the legal representatives disclosed that they have been instructed by Ayeni to recover possession of two Abuja properties entrusted to Ms Alagwu since, it was discovered that not only did she break the trust by trying to covet the properties as hers but, also that “she inhabited her mother who left her matrimonial home to stay in one of the said properties in Abuja”.

“We do not see any reason why Adaobi will want to hold on to properties she was entrusted with when there is nothing binding her to our client anymore. We believe the honourable thing a rational person would do is to vacate the premises and hand them back to our client without being prompted,” the statement added.

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April 6, 2025
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Ibas Moves to Rehabilitate Damaged Rivers LG Secretariats

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (rtd), has said that his administration is committed to fixing most of the vandalised infrastructure in the state within available financial resources.

Ibas expressed the commitment during an on-the-spot inspection of some ongoing road projects, vandalised secretariats of local government councils, and the recently inaugurated Bori Zonal Hospital, on Friday.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Government House Press Unit and sent to newsmen.

Some of the road projects inspected included the Nyhokhana-Kenkhana road, connecting the Luuwa Community to the Baani Community, and the Zakphor-Bateem road, all in the Khana Local Government Area.

Other projects are the Eleme internal roads and drainage, and the Eleme section of the Port Harcourt Ring road project.

The administrator also conducted an assessment of the extent of vandalism of the Khana and Eleme Local Government Council Secretariats.

Ibas described as disheartening the level of destruction and said that when people destroy such infrastructure, no matter the reason, they set the state back.

He stated: “I think we owe the people that we are superintending over, the duty to ensure that these facilities and infrastructure are in the best order.

“We have committed to fix most of the vandalised infrastructure with the limited resources that we have. It is a commitment that, I think we need to deliver to enable those who are using them to return to work.

“I think that by the time I go visiting the other local governments and see what we have on the ground, we will see how we can continue to build trust in our efforts to unite the people of Rivers State, so, that we can make this State a great state that people would want to be in.”

Ibas recalled his recent visit to the State House of Assembly and promised that it would be completed on time to enable that arm of government to start functioning.

The Administrator noted that there is a lot of work to be done and requires the support of all leaders at various levels to ensure that desirable governance is delivered to the people.

He said, “Within the limited resources made available to the local government, I want to implore those who are managing those resources to put them to judicious use.

“The people are watching. They want to know exactly what we are doing with their money. We need to limit the damage that is being created through delivering good governance. I think, once the people are happy with what we are doing, the chances of them taking the law into their own hands will be minimised.”

Commenting on the ongoing road projects, Ibas said roads are critical infrastructure for development and enhanced commerce in any society, which is why such provision cannot be compromised.

He added, “The more roads we have, the more commerce – I mean, the means of commuting becomes easy. We are trying to create wealth. Without roads, of course, sometimes, you have your produce, but before you move them to the marketplace, they are all rotten.

“But we also expect that when these roads are completed those who are going to use them will also take care of the infrastructure,” he added.

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (rtd), has said that his administration is committed to fixing most of the vandalised infrastructure

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Warri Federal Constituency: INEC Presents Delineation Report to Delta Ethnic Groups

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the weekend presented the report on the delineation of wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State to the Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo ethnic nationalities.

The fresh ward and polling unit delineation fieldwork was prompted by the Supreme Court judgment of 2022, which had ordered INEC to conduct the exercise.

The report was presented to representatives of the ethnic groups by the INEC State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Sir Etekamba Udo Umoren, at the stakeholders meeting convened for the presentation of the report of the fieldwork towards the implementation of the aforementioned Supreme Court order, held in Asaba, the state capital.

Copies of the delineation report were received by Chief Victor Okumagba, Dr. Andrew Igban, and Dr Joe Bisina on behalf of the Urhobo, Itsekiri, and Ijaw ethnic nationalities, respectively.

In his address during the meeting, the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, noted that the meeting was the fifth engagement with the stakeholders since the 2nd December 2022 apex court verdict, which mandated the Commission to carry out the exercise in the three local government areas in the Warri federal constituency.

The INEC Chairman, who was represented by INEC’s National Commissioner overseeing Cross River, Delta, and Edo states, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, urged the stakeholders to study the report and respond to it appropriately as the commission was ready to adopt the report as a working document in line with the Supreme Court directive.

Prof Yakubu said, “We recall that, in our last engagement meeting on the 8th of July, 2024 in Warri Federal Constituency, we concluded all discussions with stakeholders and made a promise to commence the fieldwork of the wards in the above-mentioned constituency. The Commission has carried out the exercise, which took place between 10th to 27th July 2024.

“On the other hand, the entire people of the Warri Federal Constituency played their role as committed citizens.”

While expressing gratitude “to the Governor of Delta State who provided the enabling environment for this exercise”, the INEC Chairman expressed appreciation for the presence of the community representatives, saying it was a demonstration of their confidence in the Commission as an unbiased electoral umpire.

In his remarks, the INEC Delta State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Sir Umoren, described the event as significant “because it speaks to the determination, resilience, and unity of purpose of all concerned to move beyond the Supreme Court Judgement delivered on 2nd December 2022, to where we are today.

He thanked the INEC Chairman for providing the necessary leadership, and the regional coordinator for successfully overseeing the exercise to a logical conclusion.

“The report of the fieldwork is a critical cornerstone towards the Implementation of the Supreme Court-ordered delineation of wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency, Delta State.

“Before we arrived at this point, a stakeholders’ meeting was first held at the INEC Delta State Office in Asaba on 15 February 2023, followed by the expanded stakeholders’ meeting, which was held also in Asaba on 21st March 2024.

“The third stakeholders’ meeting was held in Warri, Warri South LGA, headquarters of Warri Federal Constituency, on 8th July 2024 before the commission’s men and materials were deployed to commence the fieldwork exercise from 10th -27th July 2024.

Nonetheless, THISDAY gathered that under the fresh delineation fieldwork report for Warri North Local Government Area, the Ijaw has 10 of the 18 wards while Itsekiri has eight wards; for Warri South-West, Ijaw has 15 Wards to Itsekiri’s four we; and in Warri South, Ijaw has three wards out of the 20 Wards while Itsekiri and Urhobo have eight and nine wards, respectively.

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the weekend presented the report on the delineation of wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State