Taiwo Martins Is Not My Wife, I Stand By My ‘edide, ejoko’ Position On Oyo Monarchs — Obasanjo

Olusegun Martins

By Our Reporter

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday said he re­mained unapologetic and uncom­promising on the ‘edide, ejoko’s’ position he took against the Obas during the com­missioning of a project in Iseyin Lo­cal Government Area of Oyo State.

Obasanjo had ordered tradi­tional rulers at the event to stand up and sit down, insisting they must respect the constituted au­thorities.

Obasanjo’s action has drawn condemnation from far and near especially within Yoruba land where Obas are considered the second in command to the gods.

He said, “However, the former president has affirmed that he stood firmly, unapologetically and uncompromisingly on the position that the governor of a state holds the highest office in the state.

“By that position, the respect, protocol and dignity that must be given to the office by virtue of the constitution must not be denied. To do otherwise is to deride the office and the constitution.”

Meanwhile, Obasanjo has dis­owned one Ms. Taiwo Martins, who claimed to be the wife of the former president, in a statement apolo­gising over alleged condemned conduct of the former president against Oyo Obas, last week.

According to a statement signed by the media aide to the for­mer president, Kehinde Akinyemi, Ms. Martins has two children for Chief Obasanjo, adding that she’s not a wife nor a member of Obasanjo’s family.
The former president main­tained that the posture of Martins is that of an impostor, adding fur­ther that whatever she says doesn’t represent Obasanjo or the family.

“The attention of former Pres­ident, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has been drawn to a statement purported to be issued by a wife of the president with the photograph of one Ms. Taiwo Martins as the author of the statement.

“For the records, Ms. Martins has two children, Jonwo and Bunmi, for Chief Obasanjo but to say emphatically that she is not his wife nor a member of the Obasanjo family.

“Her posturing as Chief Obasanjo’s wife is false and that of an impostor. Nobody makes state­ment on behalf of the Obasanjo family except Chief Obasanjo or people delegated by him to do so.

“It must be noted that the state of health of Ms. Martins is known to all and sundry and whatever she says or does has nothing to do with Chief Obasanjo as an individual or the Obasanjo family as a whole.”