Former Benue State Governor and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has confirmed his marriage to Zaynab Ngohemba-George, a former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
The marriage became public knowledge on Friday, December 26, 2025, following a celebratory post shared on Facebook by Abraham Double-D Dajoh, a member of the Akume Dajoh family from Mbakor, Benue State. In the post, the family announced the union and formally welcomed Zaynab into the Dajoh family.
The message described the development as a joyful moment for the family, extending warm cultural greetings to the bride and welcoming her to Benue State, often referred to as the “Food Basket of the Nation,” and to Mbakor, recognised as a historic seat of Tiv leadership. The family also expressed appreciation to supporters of the SGF for their goodwill and offered festive wishes to Nigerians.
Photographs accompanying the post, showing Zaynab with members of the Akume family, quickly circulated on social media, generating widespread public interest and reactions.
Speaking to Hobnob News, Akume’s spokesman, Yomi Odunuga, confirmed the marriage but clarified that the union was not recent, noting that the couple had been married for over a year.
Zaynab was previously married to the Ooni of Ife in a highly publicised traditional wedding held in Benin City on March 12, 2016, with a reception in Ile-Ife the following day. The marriage ended in August 2017 after 17 months, a development she later confirmed publicly before reverting to her maiden name and relocating to Doha, Qatar, where she engaged in philanthropic work.
In later years, reports linked her to a wealthy Arab national, with whom she was said to have welcomed a daughter in 2022.
