Members of the Baale Buraimo Edu family have refuted claims made by Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, an All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, that he is a member of their family.
The family in a statement signed by Alhaji M. Oladeinde Edu and Alhaji T. A. Edu chronicled the family’s history, in which they noted that the Baale Edu while alive had 22 wives and 38 children and challenged Ambode and his supporters to trace his side of the Edu family tree and name his mother among the 22 wives.
“We hereby bring it to the notice of all Lagosians that we have tried but could not trace where the said Akinwumi Ambode belongs in the family tree of Baale Buraimo Edu of Epe,
“At this juncture, we can categorically state here that in actual fact, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode was a son of Festus Akinwale Ambode, one of the teachers posted to Epe in the old Western Region; a native of Ilaje Ese Odo in the present day Ondo State.
“As a school teacher, the elder Ambode was very familiar and friendly with several Epe indigenes. The older Ambode came to Epe through the waterways. He came with his wife, Christianah Oluleye Ambode (nee Oresanya), who though initially did not stay with him which made the older Ambode marry a second wife, an Epe daughter, popularly called ‘Iya Vice from Poka, Epe.
“She was a food seller in Epe Grammar School. This development led to Akinwunmi Ambode’s mother who also hails from Ilaje Ese Odo in Ondo State to eventually relocate to Epe to stay with her husband,” the family said.
According to Edu family, at death, Ambode’s father’s corpse was taken back to Ilaje, Ondo State for burial in line with the dictates of tradition and royalty as he was a prince, adding that, “The royalty from the kingdom came with the full royal insignia and ferried his remains back to Ilaje land for interment.
“With these facts stated above, it is a rude shock to the entire clan of the Edus in Epe that the said Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode is laying claims to being a clan of the Edus. We reject this linkage, both paternal and maternal, or even marital,” the family said.
However, in his reaction through his media aide, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, Ambode said the truth remained that the Olu of Epe; the Alara of Ara, who had been on the throne for the past 54 years and the Oba of Lagos, Oba Akiolu, had strongly pronounced the former Accountant-General as a true son of Epe.
Ajanaku, who noted that the monarchs’ position remained unassailable, said there was nothing to be added to what the three royal fathers had said.
He, therefore, urged the family making the claim to direct whatever was their concern to the monarchs.
“The Olu of Epe, the Alara and the Oba of Lagos have all said that Ambode is a true son of Epe. They should direct their concern to (these) royal fathers.
“If the Olu of Epe, the Alara, who has been on the throne for the past 54 years, could be saying that Ambode is from Epe and the Oba of Lagos is also saying that Ambode is a true son of Epe, what are they saying? They should direct the matter to the kabiyesis. We don’t have any problem with that,” he said.
This release is coming days after the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu openly anointed Ambode as the next governor of Lagos.
The family, in a release signed by both Alhaji M. Oladeinde Edu and Alhaji T. A. Edu, a copy of which was made available to the Saturday Tribune, also insisted that Ambode hailed from Ilaje in Ondo State and not from Epe as he claimed.
Ambode has, however, reacted sharply, directing the family to contact royal fathers who had confirmed his indigeneship of Epe for convincing proofs of his roots.
The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, had a few days ago at a book launch in honour of Ambode, affirmed that the former Accountant-General of Lagos State was not an Ilaje, but an Epe, and went ahead to pronounce him as the next governor that would take over from the incumbent, Mr. Babatunde Fashola.