TheCable

Florence Ajimobi, widow of former governor of Oyo state, has accused Seyi Makinde, her husband’s successor, of not reaching out to her family when Ajimobi was in the hospital.

Ajimobi died from complications of COVID-19 at First Cardiology Consultant Hospital, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He was laid to rest in Ibadan, Oyo capital, on Sunday.

Speaking when Rauf Olaniyan, deputy governor of the state, led a condolence visit to the Ajimobi family, the widow said there was no need to play politics with her late husband’s death.

She said her husband served the state well and he deserved respect from the current administration.

“Although I should not be the one speaking but I just want to clear the air on a lot of misgivings that has been spreading.
“On behalf of my late husband, children and the entire Ajimobi’s family, I want to sincerely thank you for all your support at this very crucial point of our lives,” she said.

“My husband is not a very difficult man, but thank God we are here today. For me, when things like this happen, I want to pick up something. It is a time for everyone of us to reflect on our lives because death is a necessary end. It will come when it will come. We don’t know who is next and we don’t know when our time will come.

“Either you are a Christian or a Muslim, both religion teaches love and peace and I am glad that the deputy governor of Oyo State is here, because I need to put some record straight. It is the first time I’m going to make any public announcement or statement since my husband actually died.

“I opened the papers a couple of days ago and I saw the Oyo State Government writing a lot of things.

“Your Excellency, the deputy governor of Oyo State, for the avoidance of misinformation to the public and damage to the image of my husband because my husband is a peace loving person. He sought for peace passionately.

“My husband took ill on the 22nd of May and he was hospitalised and I was reading in the papers that the Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency, Seyi Makinde claimed he called me. But he didn’t.”

Referring to the deputy governor, she said: “I don’t have your number and I have never spoken with you on phone. But it’s important we put the record straight because this is a family of politicians and I don’t want anybody to tarnish my husband’s name, well my husband is gone. It could be me or anyone else tomorrow.

“Life in itself is vanity upon vanity. Either you are PDP or APC, the man is dead and he has been buried.

“But the governor didn’t call me. Even if he had called me and I didn’t pick his calls, I don’t have his number and I have never spoken with him on the phone, he could have sent me a text message for record purposes.

“And then today again, I read in the papers and saw how the Ajimobi’s family were lying about some things.

“Mr deputy, my husband never had anything against the governor or anyone else. We were in different parties but he was an elder statesman and he slept on the ground.

“The Governor of Oyo State never called me nor sent a condolence message, my husband was hospitalised for one month, what politics are we playing, please?

“Life is short, I’m a Christian and my husband is a Muslim, we all should let the fear of God guide us in whatever we are doing. Ajimobi is gone today, whatever he does doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter to me as his wife and his widow. I’m going to mourn and respect my husband’s wishes and that was what I did today, laid him to rest peacefully.”