Gov. Seyi Makinde Reacts To Accusation Of Abandoning Late Ajimobi’s Family

Oyo state Governor, Seyi Makinde has reacted to the accusation of the wife of late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, who alleged that the Oyo State Government was playing politics with the death of her husband.⁣

She made the allegation while receiving a delegation of Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF), led by Gov. Kayode Fayemi, on Sunday in Ibadan for a condolence visit.

“The governor of Oyo state never called me. He never signed a condolence message. Never called even when my husband was on sick bed for one month. What politics are you playing, please?⁣

“Life is short. I am a Christian and my husband was a Muslim. We should allow fear of God to guide us in whatever we do. Ajimobi is gone today, whatever he does doesn’t matter to me.⁣

“It does not matter to me as his wife or widow. I am going to mourn and respect his wishes. That is what I am doing today. Laid him to rest peacefully. I do not want any controversy,”

My husband took ill precisely on May 27 and he was hospitalised and I read in the papers that he claimed that he called me but he didn’t.

“He did not call me. Even if he had called me, I never had his number. He should have sent text messages for record purposes.

“Then today again, I read in the papers that Ajimobi’s family are lying. Mr Deputy governor, my husband never had anything against the governor.

“We were in different political parties and he was an elder statesman. He slept on that ground,” she said.

Governor Makinde of Oyo State however defended his government in an interview which read:

“In view of the intense enquiries from news media organisations regarding the perceived delay in burying the late former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the Oyo State Government wishes to place on record that there is no truth in the rumour making the rounds that the burial is being delayed by the state government,”

“The rumour, which is being deliberately spread to give the state government a bad name and to play undue politics with the dead, initially came by the way of social media gossip, which gained traction to attract the attention of traditional media outfits.

“Several media outfits reached out to the Media Office of the Governor of Oyo State to make enquiries on this barefaced lie on Saturday. Let it be stated clearly that the Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has played no role at all in causing any delay whatsoever regarding the burial of his immediate predecessor, Senator Ajimobi.

“The truth of the matter is that the family, through a proxy, approached the state government and sought approval to bury the late governor on a plot of land at Agodi GRA, which is currently under litigation. Incidentally, it was the same former Governor Ajimobi who instituted the legal action.

“Governor Seyi Makinde had no choice than to state the facts as they are to the emissaries and turn down the request. Governor Makinde, however, against the established land use rule in Oyo State, gave approval that the family can bury the late governor in his Oluyole Estate residence.

“It is to be noted that the rules guiding land use in Government Reservation Areas (GRA) forbid the burial of bodies in such locations as Oluyole Estate and Agodi GRA.

“Let us also put on record that whereas the family did not follow the laid down protocols in passing information on the sickness and eventual demise of  Senator Ajimobi, Governor Makinde overlooked all that and directed the full cooperation of the government with the family on this matter.

It can only amount to a wicked lie to insinuate that the incumbent government in Oyo State attempted to obstruct the burial of the immediate past governor.”