Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the Deputy Governor of Ondo, has described allegations that he assaulted his wife Oluwaseun as “political blackmail taken too far.” 

In a statement issued on Sunday, Mr Aiyedatiwa said that he’s never assaulted his wife, claiming that she currently resides in the United Kingdom. 

A civil society group, Society for Women Empowerment (SWE), had on Saturday accused the deputy governor of physically abusing his wife, Oluwaseun. 

The group in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Damilola Charles, alleged that Mr Aiyedatiwa assaulted his wife twice in the last four months, even in the presence of his staff and friends. 

However, Mr Aiyedatiwa described the group as “faceless” people peddling false reports against him, noting that the allegation was uncharitable. 

“It is, therefore, uncharitable for anyone to claim that the Deputy Governor (Aiyedatiwa) has in that period carried out “multiple assaults” on his spouse who is out of the country. This is nothing but political blackmail taken too far,” Mr Aiyedatiwa was quoted in the statement issued by Kenneth Odusola-Stevenson, the Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor. 

He maintained that the allegation was only a figment of the imagination of those peddling the lies against him, adding that the ungodly intentions of those behind the falsehood is to cause a crisis in the state.

According to him, any report of alleged domestic issues within the family should be taken as the handiwork of the enemies of the state who are bent on causing a crisis where there is none.

“This falsehood and its peddlers would have ordinarily been ignored at this time but the need to halt further negative reports and rumours capable of creating needless tension in our State has necessitated this response.

“While his Excellency reserves the right to privacy on issues pertaining to his family, it is pertinent to state clearly that there has never been any domestic violence between the Deputy Governor and his lovely wife, Mrs Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa, who at the moment is outside the shores of the country.

“It is not a secret that Mrs Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa has lived and worked in the United Kingdom for many years before her husband became an elected public official in Nigeria and since then she has been shuttling between the United Kingdom and Nigeria to take care of the home and the children who are also in the United Kingdom,” he added in the statement. 

While noting that the plan was to further plot attacks on him, Mr Aiyedatiwa urged the people to ignore the allegation being peddled by the group. 

“In the last four months quoted in the false report as a timeline, His Excellency has been busy with official duties of his office and has during the period performed the duties of the office of the Governor as delegated to him by his boss, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, while he was on Leave.”