Adeola’s aide says senator adopted name after becoming Christian
Kayode Odunaro, media adviser to Ogun West Senator Solomon Adeola, says the politician changed his name from Sulaimon Ogunleye after converting from Islam to Christianity. The explanation came amid questions about Adeola’s identity ahead of the 2027 Ogun governorship election.
The media adviser to Ogun State All Progressives Congress governorship candidate Solomon Adeola has said the senator changed his name after converting from Islam to Christianity. Kayode Odunaro said Adeola was born into a Muslim family and was previously known as Sulaimon Ogunleye. According to the aide, he adopted the name Solomon after becoming a Christian and made the change years before entering politics.
“Solomon is the biblical name for Sulaimon,” Odunaro said, adding that the senator’s father’s name was Ogunleye and that Adeola had chosen Adeola as his surname. The explanation was given in response to questions about Adeola’s identity ahead of the 2027 governorship election. Odunaro argued that changing a name was not evidence of wrongdoing and could be prompted by personal or religious reasons.
A former Ijebu East local government chairman, Wale Adedayo, had alleged that Adeola was originally known as Sulaimon Ogunleye and was from Ekiti State. Adeola demanded that Adedayo and others who made similar claims provide evidence or face legal action. Odunaro compared the name change with that of other public figures, saying people could change their names at different points in their lives.
The source material did not include a response from Adedayo to the aide’s explanation.
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