Dr. Akeredolu accused both the monarch and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of erasing her husband’s legacy, calling the demolition a political vendetta.
Former Ondo First Lady, Dr. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has reignited tensions in Owo, describing the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, as a “baby Oba” over the demolition of a cenotaph erected in honour of victims of the 2022 church massacre.
In a video shared online during her visit to the late Governor Akeredolu’s grave, she accused the monarch — whom she claimed her husband installed — of betrayal.
“As they claim, spearheaded by the Olowo of Owo, whom you single-handedly installed… this is a known fact. You single-handedly installed that baby Oba,” she said.
She also accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of enabling the demolition to settle political scores.
“The Oba that doesn’t want so-called cemetery… he sleeps with the dead,” she said, describing the cenotaph as symbolic, not a burial site.
The monument was removed after the Olowo’s palace objected to its proximity, citing cultural norms, but Akeredolu’s widow vowed to fight for her husband’s legacy.