ALLEGED WIFE BATTERY: ONDO DEPUTY GOV, LUCKY AIYEDATIWA'S WIFE SPEAKS ABOUT ALLEGATION

Amidst the controversy surrounding the alleged wife battery by the Ondo State deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, his wife, Oluwaseun has taken to her social media page to confirm the story.

One of the aides attached to the office of the wife of the Deputy Governor, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed that the Facebook page belongs to Oluwaseun.

A civil society group, Society for Women Empowerment (SWE), had given a 7-day ultimatum to the deputy governor to publicly apologise to his wife for allegedly manhandling her.

The group, in a statement signed by its coordinator, Damilola Charles, accused Mr Aiyedatiwa of “repeatedly beating and abusing” his spouse, even in the presence of his staff and friends.

But in a swift reaction, the deputy governor in a statement signed by his Press Secretary, Kenneth Odusola, said he reserves the right to privacy on issues about his family.

The statement noted that the deputy governor’s wife had lived and worked in the United Kingdom for many years before her husband became an elected public official in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor’s wife shared a screenshot of the story alleging that she was assaulted by his husband.

She also posted a video of herself dancing in a club environment with the caption: “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives. This staggering statistic highlights the pervasive nature of domestic violence and its impact on women globally. Say NO to domestic violence!”

One of the social media users, Sunday Banjo who reacted to the post confirmed that he was a witness to the assault on Oluwaseun on December 19, 2022.

“I will recommend that Deputy Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa proceeds with mental health assessment and marriage counselling. Carrying a woman outside your marital relationship is a criminal offence.” He commented on another post.

The civil society group, Society for Women Empowerment (SWE) has dared Aiyedatiwa to ask his wife to publicly deny the alleged battery if it didn’t happen.

The group, in a short statement sent to reporters by its coordinator, Damilola Charles, in Akure on Sunday said:” We have read the reaction of the deputy governor. It is funny how the deputy governor was approbating and reprobating.

“You claim the allegation is a lie but also admitted that it’s a domestic matter. Yet, you didn’t ask your wife to do the rebuttal and sign it. Nigerians are not fools. We understand this situation.

“We are particularly interested in pursuing this to a logical conclusion because there are many women out there who are dying in silence and suffering from domestic abuse.

“They are soaking their pillow's tears and afraid to speak up because their husbands are highly placed. We are saying no more domestic violence. Irrespective of who you are.”