Obasanjo Denies Taiwo As His Wife, Denies Apologising To Obas, Says He Only Respects Governors
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has disowned Taiwo Obasanjo, who claimed to be his wife and apologised on his behalf for debasing traditional rulers.
Taiwo Obasanjo had issued a statement titled: “Oyo Kings: A plea for forgiveness”, in which she begged the Yoruba monarchs to forgive her husband for ordering them to stand up and sit down like school children at a function in Oyo State.
She said, “I am writing this letter on behalf of my husband Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the entire Obasanjo family. We are deeply sorry for the embarrassment and disgrace he has caused you all. We plead for permanent and eternal forgiveness and pardon from all Yoruba sons and daughters worldwide, fathers and mothers, youths, teenagers and children, Christians, Muslims, traditional worshippers, all leaders in Yoruba land and the Council of Kings in Yoruba land.”
However, the former president on Monday said that his attention had been drawn to the statement purported to be issued by his wife with the photograph of one Ms Taiwo Martins as the author of the statement.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo said that Ms Martins was not his wife nor a member of the Obasanjo family. He said that she had two children, Jonwo and Bunmi, for him but that did not make her his wife.
He said, “For the records, Ms. Martins has two children, Jonwo and Bunmi, for Chief Obasanjo but to say emphatically that she is not his wife nor a member of the Obasanjo family. Her posturing as Chief Obasanjo’s wife is false and that of an impostor. Nobody makes statements on behalf of the Obasanjo family except Chief Obasanjo or people delegated by him to do so.”
Akinyemi also said that it must be noted that the state of health of Ms. Martins was known to all and sundry and that whatever she said or did have nothing to do with Obasanjo as an individual or the Obasanjo family as a whole.
He said, “However, the former President has affirmed that he stood firmly, unapologetically and uncompromisingly on the position that the Governor of a State holds the highest office in the State. By that position, the respect, protocol and dignity that must be given to the office by the Constitution must not be denied. To do otherwise is to deride the office and the Constitution.”
Obasanjo’s statement came after he was criticised for allegedly disrespecting the traditional rulers at a book launch in honour of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on September 16. He was reported to have asked them to stand up before greeting them and then asked them to sit down afterwards. Some of the monarchs present at the event were Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji; Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi; Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Abdulganiy Adekunle; Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola; among others.
