Gov Sanwo-Olu fathered me, 27-year-old Delta man claims

The 27-year-old Emmanuel said his mother had just confirmed to him that he was conceived after a conjugal meeting between her and Sanwo-Olu back in 1994.

The claimant, who is a father of three, therefore expressed a strong desire to see the governor whom he claimed he had not seen since he was born.

Emmanuel made the assertions while speaking with journalists at the premises of the Delta State High Court 2 sitting in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, The Punch reports.

According to him, his mother, who hails from Oleri community in the Udu Local Government Area, maintained that she had him for Sanwo-Olu before she married another man for whom she had other children.

Emmanuel told newsmen that he does “casual job” to survive with his wife and three kids insisting that, “I am 100 per cent sure that I am the son of Governor Sanwo-Olu”, and “I just want to see the man, Sir, as my father.”

Emmanuel heads to court: His counsel, John Aikpokpo-Martins, also informed to journalists that the claimant was his client in a case that came up for hearing before the court on Tuesday, in which the Lagos State governor is a defendant.

In the Suit No: EHC/148/2022 between Emmanuel Moses Sanwo-Olu and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the claimant averred that he was the conjugal product of a congenial relationship that existed between his mother, Grace Moses, and the defendant in 1994/95.

Also in his writ of summons issued by J. O. Aikpokpo-Martins, Esq., the claimant is praying the court for the following:

“A declaration that the defendant is the biological father of the claimant begotten from Madam Grace Moses of Oleri, Delta State.

“An order directing and compelling the defendant to acknowledge and accord the claimant all the rights of a son in accordance to all the laws applicable whether customarily, statutorily, or constitutionally.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from further denying the parenthood of the claimant.”

As stated in the statement of claim attached to the writ, the claimant alleged that Governor Sanwo-Olu had an amorous relationship with a girl known as Grace Moses from Oleri village near Warri metropolis, when he was a staff of a private company operating in Warri and its environs in Delta State from 1994 to 1995.

Emmanuel claimed that the said Grace Moses eventually became pregnant for Sanwo-Olu in 1994 to the defendant's knowledge and without any form of recriminations from him, adding that shortly after, the defendant left Warri and Grace Moses eventually lost contact with him to date.

Aikpokpo-Martin, who said he had earlier filed a motion to strike out the matter on the grounds that the governor was not ready to wave his immunity, added that he had also filed an application seeking an order for the governor to wave his immunity to come for a DNA test.

The lawyer, however, disclosed that his client's only wish is for Sanwo-Olu to his paternity saying, “nothing more to it.”

The lawyer's words: “We are expecting that he (the governor) will do that if indeed, he is sure that he is not the father of the claimant.

“But unfortunately, he invoked his immunity to say he is immune against lawsuits and he is not ready to wave it.

“Upon that, they brought the application that the court should not hear the matter, and that the court should strike out the matter.”

“From now till the next adjourned date, which is January 17, let’s see whether morally his conscience can be appealed to, or bring himself forward for a DNA test with Emmanuel. It does not need to be in the press. It can be done quietly. Nobody wants to actually make noise with him but he has actually extremely proved very difficult to scientific verification with the claimant.

“If it happens that Emmanuel is not his son, he goes home. It’s a very simple thing. But if it’s his own, then the young man will be happy that at least, he knows where he comes from. By then, he now has the power and authority to go into the Sanwo-Olu family as a member of the family.”