Nigerian governor appointed sister-in-law to cabinet, not daughter with the same name
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on July 12, 2023 at 13:11
- 4 min read
- By Fikayo OWOEYE, AFP Nigeria
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“BREAKING: 'g’overnor Ademola Adeleke has just appointed his biological daughter as a commissioner in Osun State (sic),” reads a tweet published on July 7, 2023.
The tweet, which has been liked more than 1,500 times, was posted by an account that regularly shares content in support of Nigeria's All Progressives Congress.
Adeleke is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The post sparked controversy online with commenters debating whether or not he had actually appointed his daughter.
A similar claim also appeared on Facebook and Twitter with further accusations that the governor appointed another purported family member, Morufu Adeleke, to the cabinet.
On July 4, 2023, the governor sent 25 names (archived here) to the State House of Assembly for confirmation as state cabinet members.
But the claims that Adeleke's list included his daughter and another relative are misleading.
Sister-in-law, not daughter
The governor does have a daughter named Adenike Adeleke who has a verified Instagram account (archived here) where she has referred to the governor as her father here and here (archived here and here).
However, she has not been appointed to the cabinet by him.
The state government issued a statement (archived here) clarifying that one of the governor’s cabinet nominees, also named Adenike Adeleke, is actually the widow of his dead brother -- not his daughter.
“Mrs Adeleke is the daughter of Chief Omidiran of Osogbo Land and wife of the late Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke,” the statement reads.
Isiaka Adeleke, the elder brother of the current governor, died in 2017. He was also a governor.
The Adenike Adekele who was married to the governor’s late brother has been featured in newspaper reports such as here and here (archived here and here), where she was referred to as Nike, a shortened form of her first name.
Second appointment
Meanwhile, Morufu Ademola Adeleke also denied the online claim that he is a relative of the governor, saying it is “only a coincidence” that they share the same last name.
“I say loud and clear that I am not in any way related to His Excellency, Gov Nurudeen Jackson Ademola Adeleke, the executive governor of Osun state,” he said in a message sent to AFP Fact Check.
The state government has also denied the claim, saying he “was born at Ilesa and hails from Osogbo, the state capital”.
Morufu Adeleke is a professor of mathematics education at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun.
His Facebook page also notes that he is from Osogbo, while the governor hails from Ede, in another part of Osun.
The governor's spokesperson Olawale Rasheed told AFP the claims are “fake news”.
Tiamiyu Olamide, a media aide to the speaker of the Osun assembly, described the claims as a “blatant lie”.
AFP has previously debunked claims about Adeleke, the governor, here.
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