“Left in the Shadows: Ayodele Omidina Reflects on Her Painful Separation from Baba Suwe and the Career That Faded Away”

Years after the laughter faded and the spotlight dimmed, Ayodele Omidina, the estranged wife of the late Yoruba comic icon Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe, is speaking out about the untold pain of abandonment, silence, and a promising acting career left behind.

In an emotional interview with actor and filmmaker Kunle Afod, Ayodele broke her silence on the personal and professional fallout that followed her separation from the legendary actor. She revealed that their marriage came to an abrupt and painful end after Baba Suwe married fellow comedienne, the late Omoladun.

According to Ayodele, there was no closure – just a sudden exit.

“It’s true, Baba Suwe abandoned me after he married Omoladun,” she said, her voice tinged with a mix of sorrow and resignation. “He didn’t give any explanation despite several people going to meet him for reconciliation. So I accepted my fate. However, he still took care of his kids.”

But the damage extended far beyond her personal life. Ayodele’s acting career, once full of promise, ground to a halt not long after their separation. She claims it was not just a consequence of marital discord, but a deliberate effort to erase her from the industry.

“I stopped featuring in movies after we separated, but I wasn’t hurt that people stopped calling me for roles because that was something Baba Suwe had already put in place,” she explained. “He used to tell people that they couldn’t cast me all the time because I was a full housewife. That mindset stuck with many of them, which is why they still don’t reach out for movie roles.”

Now older but still passionate about acting, Ayodele says she’s ready to return to the screen if given the chance.

“I’m still interested,” she said firmly, her spirit undimmed by the years of rejection.

Their love story began long before Baba Suwe became a household name. Ayodele recalled their early days together, painting a picture of a young couple full of dreams.

“We have been together since 1979, before he started acting. I was still in school when he said he wanted to marry me,” she recalled, a trace of nostalgia in her tone.

Despite the wounds left behind, Ayodele remains gracious when speaking of her late ex-husband. While the pain of abandonment lingers, so too does her recognition of the qualities that once drew them together—the charisma, the humour, the uniqueness that made Baba Suwe a beloved figure in Nigerian comedy.

Her story is one of resilience—a woman who stood beside a man on his journey to fame, only to be left behind when the lights shone brightest. But Ayodele Omidina is not asking for pity. She wants only to be remembered not as a woman abandoned, but as an actress whose own light once shone—and still can.