Following the denial by Ondo State Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, over the allegations of domestic violence against his wife, the civil society group, Society for Women Empowerment (SWE) has issued a 7-day ultimatum to Ayedatiwa to publicly apologise to his wife for allegedly manhandling her.
But the Office of the Deputy Governor in a statement denied the allegation as baseless and a false report meant to tarnish the image of Ayedatiwa by some faceless group.
This is just as the wife of the deputy governor, Oluwaseun, took to her social media page to condemn domestic violence, saying no to domestic violence.
However, the women’s group maintained that it stands resolutely on its allegation, challenging Ayedatiwa to dare them and tell his wife to publicly deny the alleged battery.
The group on Sunday, in a statement signed by its coordinator, Damilola Charles, accused Aiyedatiwa of “repeatedly beating and abusing” his wife, even in the presence of his staff and friends.
The group said: “We have read the reaction of the deputy governor. It is funny how the deputy governor was approbating and reprobating.
“You claim the allegation is a lie but also admitted that it’s a domestic matter. Yet, you didn’t ask your wife to do the rebuttal and sign it. Nigerians are not fools. We understand this situation.
“We are particularly interested in pursuing this to a logical conclusion because there are many women out there who are dying in silence and suffering from domestic abuse.
“They are soaking their pillow’s tears and afraid to speak up because their husbands are highly placed. We are saying no more domestic violence. Irrespective of who you are.”
But the deputy governor maintained that “this falsehood and its peddlers would have ordinarily been ignored at this time but the need to halt further negative reports and rumours capable of creating needless tension in our state has necessitated this response.
“The said allegation of domestic abuse against the person of the deputy governor is a figment of the imagination of those behind it and their ungodly intentions to cause crisis in the State had been known for weeks and therefore such falsehood did not come as a surprise.
“While His Excellency reserves the right to privacy on issues pertaining to his family, it is pertinent to state clearly that there has never been any domestic violence between the Deputy Governor and his lovely wife, Mrs Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa, who at the moment is outside the shores of the country”
The statement explained that “It is not a secret that Mrs Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa has lived and worked in the United Kingdom for many years before her husband became an elected public official in Nigeria and since then she has been shuttling between the United Kingdom and Nigeria to take care of the home and the children who are also in the United Kingdom.
“Therefore, any report of alleged domestic issues within the family should be taken as the handiwork of the enemies of the State who are bent of causing crisis where there is none and we therefore warn those spreading such falsehood to desist or face the consequences.
“It is concerning to see that a faceless group said to be headed by a name not known anywhere in the State could sell such fabrication to media men. It is more concerning, however, that such lie, which was not backed with any evidence whatsoever, could be promoted into a news item by journalists.
“In the last four months quoted in the false report as timeline, His Excellency has been busy with official duties of his office and has during the period performed the duties of the office of the Governor as delegated to him by his boss, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, while he was on Leave.
“It is therefore uncharitable for anyone to claim that the Deputy Governor has in that period carried out “multiple assaults” on his spouse who is out of the country. This is nothing but political blackmail taken too far.
“We urge the good people of Ondo State to ignore such falsehood as those behind it may just be plotting further attacks on the Deputy Governor to promote their sinister agenda”
But shortly after the denial, the deputy governor’s wife, Oluwaseun, shared a screenshot of the story alluding that she was assaulted by her husband.
In a video posted by her with the caption: “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives.
“This staggering statistic highlights the pervasive nature of domestic violence and its impact on women globally. Say NO to domestic violence!”
One of the social media users, Sunday Banjo who reacted to the post confirmed that he was a witness to the assault on Oluwaseun on December 19, 2022.
One of the social media users, Sunday Banjo who reacted to the post confirmed that he was a witness to the assault on Oluwaseun on December 19, 2022.
“Lucky Orire Aiyedatiwa flog you on December 19. I am a witness to it. Go to the court of law I will join to give evidence. Lucky is an animal in an animal in a human clothes.
“I will recommend the Deputy Governor Lucky Orire Aiyedatiwa to proceed on mental health assessment and marriage counseling. Carrying woman outside your marital relationship is a criminal offence.” He commented on another post.
