“I am a proud Yoruba man,” says Oyo Speaker – Denies allegiance to mother’s ethnicity

Following the backlash he received for his relationship with Igbo groups in Oyo State, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, has said he is committed to serving the interests of people of the state.

The youthful speaker became the subject of online discussion among some Yoruba conservatives, alleging his recent remarks and association with the Ohaneze N’digbo in Oyo State indicates allegiance to the Igbo, the ethnic group to which his late mother belonged.

Taking to his X page on Sunday with a picture of himself and his wife, the 38-year-old lawmaker reaffirmed his commitment to Yorubaland and the people of Oyo State.

He wrote, “I am a proud Yoruba man from Eruwa. I speak Yoruba with pride, and I conduct and promote plenary sessions in Yoruba,” adding that he is married to a Yoruba woman and that his late mum, “Chief Mrs Justina Iyabo Ogundoyin, who was born and raised in Ibadan, embraced Yoruba culture and virtues from birth”.

Born to a business mogul, the late Chief Adeseun Ogundoyin from Eruwa in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State, Hon. Adebo’s mum is originally from Imo State.

There has been growing resentment and campaigns against Southwest politicians married to wives with ties to Southeast Nigeria, following alleged unsavoury remarks from the former First Lady of Ondo State, Becky Akeredolu, who is from Imo State and is married to Ondo ex-governor, late Rotimi Akeredolu.

The 2023 presidential election, which sparked ethnic tensions, particularly in Lagos State, was exacerbated by the ‘Lagos is no man’s land’ controversy and has resulted in pushbacks by conservative groups in the Southwest.