New details have emerged regarding the ongoing saga between Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) star Ilebaye Odiniya and her father, Hon. Emmanuel Godson Odiniya. In an audio recording shared by journalist Jeremiah Promise Enemona Ocheme on Sunday, May 10, 2026, Ilebaye's father, who is reportedly hospitalized in Abuja, gave his account of the situation.
Father Claims He Used Influence for Ilebaye's Victory
Odiniya stated that he leveraged his connections to secure public support for his daughter during the BBNaija All Stars season, which she won. He claimed that after her victory, he wanted her to publicly thank the people of Kogi state and others who supported her, but she refused.
"I saw a lot of things going wrong with her when it comes to appreciating what they did for you when you were in Big Brother. I used my influence seriously to make people of Kogi state and all over vote massively for my daughter, even governors and my colleagues donated money which was used in buying the IUC," he said.
Allegations of Disrespect and Assault
Odiniya alleged that Ilebaye has repeatedly disrespected and insulted him, and even physically attacked him on occasion. He also claimed she advised him to divorce her mother and introduced her younger brother to substance abuse, leading to disciplinary issues at school.
Financial Request Turned Down
The father said the recent conflict stemmed from his request for a loan to cover a medical check-up in Dubai. He claimed Ilebaye refused, only for him to later see a video of her spraying money at the wedding of her colleague, Cross.
"The most recent one that I was not happy was when I was supposed to go for medical check-up in Dubai. I told my daughter, I'm lacking resources, please borrow me a certain amount of money. My daughter told me she doesn't have money. A week later, come and see how my daughter was spraying bundles of money at a wedding of one of her colleagues they call Cross," he said.
"That is not the problem. I will be happy if my daughter supports her colleagues, but what about your father? If you help your father, is anything wrong?" he added.
Mixed Reactions from Netizens
The audio sparked diverse reactions online. Commenter kaliap_ said, "Even if all he said is true, that doesn't give him the right to beat her like that." Princechina4u wrote, "They no born my wife well to hit me talk more of my daughter. Make dem go settle." SammySteve_ commented, "What kind of entitled old man is this? No self-respect whatsoever."
Meanwhile, zimachoppers noted, "Oga that doesn't give you the right to beat her up like that. If you trained her well, she won't be disrespecting the way you said. Upbringing matters a lot."
