The Adaobi Alagwu–Tunde Ayeni Marriage Controversy: Unmasking the Truth Behind a Public Drama
In what has rapidly evolved into one of the most talked-about scandals in Nigeria’s high society and legal circles, Ms. Adaobi Alagwu, a lawyer and entrepreneur, has publicly accused billionaire businessman and former Skye Bank chairman, Dr. Tunde Ayeni, of misleading her into a customary marriage under false pretenses. The case—part love affair, part legal dispute—has captured public imagination and scrutiny, not only because of the personalities involved but also due to the tangled issues of paternity, marriage legitimacy, and reputational damage.
The latest turn came after a widely circulated interview with Ayeni in THISDAY, where he was quoted as saying, “I regret ever meeting Adaobi Alagwu.” The statement, which many saw as an attempt to discredit and distance himself from Alagwu, was swiftly met with a stern rebuttal from her legal team. Represented by Indemnity Partners, under the leadership of Chief B.C. Igwilo (SAN), Alagwu declared the interview defamatory and misleading, accusing Ayeni of publicly ridiculing her after privately committing to a relationship with her—including fathering her child.
“Our client and Dr. Ayeni went out as consenting adults, premised primarily on his misrepresentation of his true marital status,” her lawyers asserted.
What began as a private relationship between two adults has now spiraled into a public debacle with far-reaching consequences for their reputations, families, and perhaps legal standing.
Ms. Adaobi Alagwu is not just a footnote in this unfolding saga. A trained lawyer, businesswoman, and socialite, she has carved a niche for herself in Nigeria’s elite circles. She’s known for her elegance, intellect, and the founding of several ventures within the legal and hospitality sectors.
Prior to the controversy, Alagwu’s name was largely associated with ambition and grace. But in recent years, whispers about her relationship with Dr. Tunde Ayeni began to emerge in gossip blogs, with many speculating on the nature and depth of their connection.
This latest revelation has confirmed that the relationship was not only real—it was profound enough to produce a child and what she claims was a customary marriage arrangement.
YOU MAY READ
Meet Stephen Ejezie, the Access Bank Staff Who Secretly Recorded and Sold Over 400 Naked Videos of Female Colleagues
At the heart of Alagwu’s claim is that she was misled into believing she was entering a lawful and culturally recognized customary marriage with Ayeni. According to her legal team, the businessman informed her he was married under customary law, and therefore legally permitted to take another wife.
This distinction is critical. Under Nigerian law, customary marriage—particularly polygynous unions—is distinct from statutory (monogamous) marriages conducted under the Marriage Act. While customary law allows a man to take more than one wife, a marriage under statutory law does not.
Alagwu argues that Ayeni’s representations of his marital status shaped her decisions, expectations, and trust.
“He represented that he was customarily married, and could therefore marry her without legal constraints,” reads the lawyers’ letter to THISDAY.
However, critics of Alagwu’s claim have raised pressing questions: Did she seek independent verification of Ayeni’s marital status? Was there a formal, family-backed customary ceremony? And if not, was she simply a romantic partner—albeit one that bore his child?
A major turning point in the story involves a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test allegedly ordered and paid for by Ayeni himself. The results, according to Alagwu’s legal team, confirmed with 99.9999% certainty that Ayeni is the biological father of her child.
Beyond the test result, it is also claimed that Ayeni:
These details strongly indicate active paternity acknowledgment, raising questions about why Ayeni, after such levels of recognition, would suddenly turn publicly hostile.
“He was the one who named the child. He acknowledged her, he funded the DNA test abroad, and accepted the outcome. So why is he denying this relationship now?” asked a close associate of Alagwu who spoke on condition of anonymity.
If the relationship once held affection, it has now curdled into hostility. Alagwu’s legal team paints a picture of a man who, after luring her into a relationship, turned on her and launched a campaign of public defamation.
“Dr. Ayeni was later to develop intense public antagonism towards our client and her family, often spewing verbiage, without reaction in kind by our client,” the lawyers stated.
According to them, the THISDAY interview was not only defamatory but maliciously timed to damage her public image and “destroy her reputation.”
Alagwu, through her lawyers, categorically denied all these allegations and labelled them “absurd” and “designed to distract from the truth.”
“The interview was clearly designed to ridicule, defame, and destroy the reputation of our client,” the statement said.
As expected, the controversy has dominated online discourse in Nigeria, particularly on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, where netizens have taken sides.
Some accuse Adaobi Alagwu of being opportunistic, alleging that she used her relationship with a billionaire to secure wealth and influence. Others defend her as a victim of emotional fraud, noting that even intelligent, independent women can fall prey to deception—especially when it is woven with the threads of affection, promise, and family.
A trending post read:
“It’s the audacity for me. You name the child. You pay for a DNA test. You smile in private but shame in public? Nah, this is gaslighting on steroids.”
Others, however, were less sympathetic:
“Customary marriage without elders? Without bride price? Without public acknowledgement? Sis, please.”
The division underscores how deeply patriarchy and moral judgment still influence the way Nigerian society views relationships between powerful men and younger women—especially when wealth, status, and pregnancy are involved.
While Ayeni’s full interview has not been published in its entirety, snippets reported in THISDAY suggest a man who feels regret, betrayal, and perhaps embarrassment over his past entanglement with Alagwu.
Saying he regrets ever meeting her was, in effect, a denial—not only of a romantic relationship, but of the entire narrative she has now brought before the public.
His critics argue that this is a defensive stance, designed to evade responsibility, especially as it relates to paternity and emotional commitments. They question why a man who had “no significant relationship” with a woman would pay for a paternity test, accept the result, and have his name on a child’s passport.
Ayeni has not yet responded to the rebuttal issued by Alagwu’s lawyers, nor has he initiated any legal action for defamation—a silence many interpret as tacit acknowledgment of the core facts.
Alagwu’s claim rests on the assumption that Ayeni represented himself as customarily married and therefore free to engage in another legal union. If she can demonstrate that these representations were knowingly false, her legal team could potentially pursue:
However, without documented proof of a formal customary marriage, her claims may not hold up in a statutory court. Nonetheless, her legal argument may focus on the damage caused by Ayeni’s public denial, rather than the legality of the marriage itself.
Beyond the public acrimony and reputational battles lies a young child, the daughter of the embattled couple. Her future—legally, emotionally, and socially—now hangs in the balance.
Ayeni’s paternity has been scientifically established. Whether he publicly acknowledges the child moving forward or not, Nigerian law obliges him to provide care and support. The Child Rights Act of 2003 protects every Nigerian child’s right to identity, parental care, and inheritance.
Her lawyers’ insistence on DNA documentation and official passport details suggests a calculated legal foundation for any future court proceedings.
Whether either party escalates the issue legally remains to be seen. For now, the case remains a war of narratives.
What is clear, however, is that Nigeria’s elite love lives are no longer confined to whispers at private clubs. In an age of social media, high-profile affairs often morph into national soap operas, where reputations are either rehabilitated or irreparably destroyed.
This saga, however glamorous or scandalous it may seem, is fundamentally human. It is about trust, betrayal, intimacy, and consequence. It is about a woman who believed she was loved and protected, only to find herself denounced. It is about a man who, perhaps out of regret or embarrassment, tried to rewrite the past.
And at the center is a child, innocent and deserving of truth and stability.
Whether Adaobi Alagwu was truly married to Tunde Ayeni may be for courts or conscience to decide. But what is undeniable is that a relationship existed, a child was born, and now two adults must navigate the fallout—with dignity, truth, and responsibility.
The nation watches not for entertainment, but for resolution. Because what is at stake is not just gossip—it is justice, womanhood, fatherhood, and the enduring question of what it means to honor one’s word in both love and law.