27-year-old seeks DNA to prove Sanwo-Olu is his father

A Delta-State-based 27-year-old man has said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State is his father.

He spoke with newsmen on the premises of High Court 2 sitting in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

The man, who identified himself as Emmanuel Sanwo-Olu, said his mother told him that the Lagos governor is his father.

The father of three claimed that he is 100 per cent sure that “I am the son of Governor Sanwo-Olu.”

He said his mother had only him for Governor Sanwo-Olu before she married another man who she had other children for.

“I just want to see the man as my father. For the past 27 years, I have not seen my father.”

Emmanuel Sanwo-Olu said he does “casual jobs” to survive with his wife and three kids.

Counsel for the claimant, John Aikpokpo-Martins said the matter was before the court.

The case of Emmanuel Sanwo-Olu, his client, against the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The legal practitioner and former 1st Vice President of the Nigeria Bar Association noted that the matter had come up for hearing.

He said: “The lawyers for Sanwo-Olu, Templas law firm, had earlier filed a motion to strike out the matter on the grounds that the governor was not ready to wave his immunity.”

Aikpokpo-Martins said he had also filed an application seeking an order for the governor to wave his immunity to come for a DNA test.

He added, “We are expecting that he will do that if 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. The Court should strike out the matter.

“I pleaded with the other side to give us time to see if this matter can be resolved. Resolved in the essence that if the governor will just wave his immunity and come for a DNA test.

“If he is sure that he is not the father of the boy, why should he be afraid of submitting himself to a DNA?

“We have situation where somebody, who wants to be aware of who he is.His mother’s family is just half a family.

“They all know that he is the child of a woman and we know culturally, the child of a woman does not belong to that family.

“His rights are curtailed and things like that.

“And he is already having children.

“They need to know who they are.”

Aikpokpo-Martins urged Sanwo-Olu to validate the paternity of his client saying: “Nothing more to it.

“From now till the next adjourned date, which is January 17th, let’s see whether morally his conscience can be appealed to or bring himself forward for a DNA text 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 proven very difficult to scientific verification with the claimant.

“If it happens that Emmanuel is not his son, he goes home. 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.”

Daily Trust/Eagle online