Fact-Check: No Evidence Rotimi Akeredolu’s Widow Remarried The Younger Brother of His Late Spouse
BY: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim
Mrs Betty Akeredolu, the widow of the late former Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has remarried his younger brother.
Verdict
Insufficient evidence. Betty Akeredolu, the late Ondo Governor’s widow, refuted the claim as the traditional ceremony she did in Imo State recently did not feature any remarriage.
Full Text
Nigeria Stories claimed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Mrs Betty Akeredolu, the widow of the late former Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has remarried his younger brother.
As seen in the viral post which was accompanied by a screenshot from Mrs Akeredolu’s Instagram post, the family of the former First Lady of Ondo handed her over to the immediate younger brother to the late governor, Prof. Wole Akeredolu after the Akeredolus indicated interest in still having her in their family following the death of the former Governor.
It would be recalled that the former governor died last December due to leukaemia and prostate cancer, two ailments that had made him incapacitated for several months.
FactCheckAfrica conducted this verification due to the sensitive nature of the claim.
Verification
FactCheckAfrica revisited the 2 part Instagram post made by Betty Akeredolu in a bid to ascertain the truth of the claim
According to the post, the traditional Mgbafu Mkpe ceremony was organised for her Excellency, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the widow of former governor of Ondo State, following the demise of her husband.
The ceremony, which took place in Emeabiam Community in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria involved the handing over of Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu to the immediate younger brother of her late husband, Professor Wole Akeredolu, by Mr. Herbert Igbo representing Umuegeolu Kindred.
From Mrs Akeredolu’s post, this ceremony is a customary Igbo practice performed after the death of a woman’s husband to determine if she will remain with her husband’s family or return to her own family and gifts such as kolanuts, palm wine, and a she-goat were presented as part of the ceremony.
The ceremony, which was done in the presence of Umuegeolu family members, Nde Mgboto Emeabiam (Daughters of the Soil), and Oha n’Ikoro Emeabiam (Elders Council), indicated the community’s involvement and support for Mrs Akeredolu during her mourning period.
It also highlights the significance of the ceremony to the Igbo people of Imo State, emphasising its cultural importance and the traditions surrounding widowhood and family relationships in Igbo culture.
Also, the claim was refuted by Mrs Akeredolu in a follow-up post on her official X page.
Providing a report published by Jats Online News as a disclaimer, it clarified that the claim is bogus in clear terms.
“It is therefore to our utter surprise to read posts made by bloggers, many of whom depended on our story, claiming that Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu is now married to Prof Akeredolu as his wife.
“This is totally false and a clear misrepresentation of what actually transpired during the ceremony. We don’t want to believe this sensational plank given to the story is deliberate. It stems solely from ignorance of the full import of the tradition of the people since most of the bloggers do not hail from the area. However, it is usually good to seek clarification whenever one is in doubt.
“Note that our story did not suggest or assert that Prof Wole Akeredolu is the husband of Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu. He did not remarry her either at the ceremony or afterwards,” the report reads.
Conclusion
The claim that Mrs Akeredolu has married Professor Wole Akeredolu, Rotimi Akeredolu’s younger brother, lacks substantive evidence to validate it.
Editor’s Note: When debunking claims, FactCheckAfrica only relies on credible platforms to support our findings. However, for this report, we used the story by the Jats Online News solely because it came from the principal figure the claim was made against.
