EDITORIAL
3 Men Late Onyeka Onwenu Was Rumoured To Have Slept With, Including Obasanjo
Onyeka Onwenu has been accused of having an affair with three men, including the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo. Before her passing, she admitted that there was a truth to one of the romantic escapades she had with these men. Let’s take a look at who these men were.
King Sunny Ade
The release of the love song, Madawonloum, made by Onyeka Onwenu and King Sunny Ade got many to believe that the duo were actually dating. As if to confirm the rumours of a love affair going on between them, both of them went further to release two more songs called “Choices” and “Wait for Me.”
The more both songs gained traction, the wilder the accusations of a secret relationship between Onyeka and King Sunny Ade. Almost everyone believed that both singers came together in the heat of unbridled lust to give birth to a female love child.
As Onyeka Onwenu penned down in her memoir, “My Father’s Daughter,” even General Ibrahim Babangida asked her about the authenticity of their affair, albeit jokingly.
She decided to keep quiet about the rumours until the driver of one of her son’s friends told her four-year-old son that King Sunny Ade was his father. That disturbing information got to her and she immediately put out a statement to quell the rumors.
King Sunny Ade on his part has said that the rumours were a gimmick made to promote their music, “Wait for Me,” and he played along even if people thought Onyeka Onwenu was his girlfriend.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti
Before she died, Onyeka Onwenu confessed that there was a truth to one of the romantic interests she had been shipped with in the past. And that was none other than the legendary Afrobeat singer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Fela’s feelings for her developed when she wrote an article advocating for his release from prison. Immediately after he got out of jail, he invited Onyeka to his club. She thought the father of Afrobeat wanted to thank her for writing in solidarity with him. To her utmost surprise, he popped the ultimate question and asked her to marry him.
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Onyeka Onwenu would have accepted his proposal right there, but then she looked around and observed how Fela’s other dancer wives kept looking at her with bitter scorn. Their faces were morphed with so many negative emotions that suggested that they didn’t mind eliminating her before she replaced their position in Fela’s life.
As some of Fela’s women passed by her, she could hear their faint whispers of hate, mixed in with hostility and jealousy. They made such snide remarks just loud enough for her to hear it and know that she wasn’t wanted in the Kalakuta shrine.
Right there and then, Onyeka Onwenu couldn’t understand Fela’s love for so many women because she was a jealous and possessive lover. So, she turned down Fela’s proposal and walked away without looking back.
Olusegun Obasanjo
While growing up, Onyeka Onwenu has been accused of sleeping with so many influential men in order to push her musical career. One of such men was the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo;
Seeing her sporadic rise to fame, some side talks started began fermenting that the ex-president had a fling with her. It got to the point that people were convinced that Obasanjo secretly married Onyeka.
When the news filtered to the ears of the elder statesman, he called Onyeka Onwenu and asked her about the rumours. She explained to him how she was just as confused as he was and both of them had a good laugh about it.
According to her, “Somebody even went as far as asking me the question about my secret marriage to Obasanjo up to four times. By the fifth time, I was ready to fight him to leave me alone.”
Onyeka Onwenu went on to say that if Obasanjo was going to marry her, they would’ve made it public without feeling the need to hide it.
