Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been dragged before a Delta State High Court at Effurun, by one Emmanuel Moses Sanwo-Olu, claiming to be the governor’s biological son.
In the Suit No: EHC/148/2022 between Emmanuel Moses Sanwo-Olu and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Claimant claims that he was the product of a relationship which existed between his mother, Grace Moses and the defendant in 1994/95.
In his Writ of Summons issued by J. O. Aikpokpo-Martins, Esq., and the claimant is praying the court for:
a. A declaration that the defendant is the biological father of the claimant begotten from Madam Grace Moses of Oleri, Delta State.
b. An order directing and compelling the defendant to acknowledge and accord the claimant all the rights of a son in accordance with all the laws applicable whether customarily, statutorily or constitutionally.
c. An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from further denying the parenthood of the claimant.
In a 19-paragraph statement of claim attached to the writ, the claimant claims inter alia: Governor Sanwo Olu was a staff (member) of a private company operating in Warri and its environs in Delta State from 1994 to 1995, and in the course of living in Warri in the said period, he dated as girl known as Grace Moses from Oleri village near the Warri metropolis, Delta State, from between 1994 to 1995.
He further alleged that the said Grace Moses ultimately got pregnant for the Governor Sanwo-Olu in 1994, to the defendant’s knowledge and without any form of recriminations from him.
But shortly after, the defendant ‘disappeared’ and Grace Moses neither heard from, heard of, nor saw the defendant till date.
The claimant’s statement further avers that ultimately, Grace Moses gave birth to , the baby nd named him Emmanuel Moses; Moses being the claimant’s mother’s family name.
According to the claimant, he was brought up all alone by his mother in shame, despair and difficulties as may be reasonably expected for an unmarried poor girl from a poorer background.
In the course of time, she enrolled her son in school as Emmanuel Moses.
Predictably, in the course of time, the claimant started asking who his father is, and demanded to know his family.
Under intense pressure, Emmanuel was informed that his father was a Yoruba man known as Jide Sanwo-Olu, who claimed to hail from both Ijebu-Ode and Epe; that was the little the claimant’s mother knew about the defendant’s background.
The claimant avers that his mother further informed him that some unique features she noticed in the defendant then was that the defendant was left-handed and always clean shaven.
She also remembered the defendant to be gentle, caring, respectful and soft-spoken.
“The claimant avers that sometime in 2022, someone suddenly drew his attention to the fact that the defendant who was being featured on the television also bears Sanwo-Olu and of the unique fact that the defendant was also left handed and looks like him.
The claimant could not believe this until he watched the video of the defendant on television inspecting some projects.
He therefore visited his mother for more quizzing; he downloaded the picture of the defendant from his Instagram page and also downloaded pictures of 7 other men and gave them to his mother to identify his father.
The claimant’s mother positively identified the picture of the defendant from the several pictures brought to her as the man she had an affair with between 1994 and 1995.
The claimant’s mother, at this stage, did not know that the defendant was the Governor of Lagos State.
The recorded video of the television broadcast of the defendant was also played for the claimant’s mother and sheidentified the defendant as the Jide Sanwo-Olu, who was in Delta State from1994-95, and whom she had am affair with; got her pregnant and the father of the claimant.
According to Emmanuel, all attempts to reach the defendant had since proved futile and therefore necessitated the instant action.
He further stated that during the trial, he shall seek for a DNA test to prove his claim and “hereby call on the defendant to waive his constitutional immunity to agree to a DNA test if he insists that he is not the claimant’s father.
The court processes were filed and dated August 1, 2022, and the Defendant had yet to respond at the time of filing this report.