Relationship between Ajimobi’s family and the Oyo State government has been frosty leading to accusations and counter-accusations on what was responsible for the delay in his burial.
Tongues started wagging on Sunday when a video went viral in which the former First Lady, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, raised dust over the failure of Governor Makinde to reach out to her since the sickness and eventual demise of her husband.
In the said video, the former First Lady was seen accusing Governor Makinde and his deputy, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan, of failing to reach out to her.
But sources knowledgeable about happenings in Oyo State confirmed to Daily Independent that the governor was actually frustrated out of his bid to take good care of his predecessor.
“Governor Makinde on hearing of the sickness of his predecessor asked one of his special advisers to make contact and establish the true situation. The said adviser got in contact with the deputy governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, after attempts to reach the former First Lady failed”.
Sources said that Hamzat’s intervention led to the communication of the phone number of a personal physician to the late former governor to the adviser who transmitted the same to Governor Makinde.
It was gathered that through the Commissioner for Health in Oyo State, the governor summoned the said personal physician, who happens to be the wife of a politician and former office holder in Ajimobi government.
The said doctor, while she was on her way to the Government House in Ibadan, was said to have told her husband, who immediately asked her to abandon the trip to the Government House and sneak into Lagos.
That effort stalled, the governor of Oyo State again requested for and put calls through to the former First Lady, who ignored the calls.
The governor was then said to have reached out to his colleague in Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for interface.
It was gathered that the interface between the family and Sanwo-Olu did not go through as the former First Lady again stalled it.
Sources further said that with the obvious determination of the former First Lady not to carry Oyo State government along in the health situation of her husband, Governor Makinde had to hand every other thing over to Sanwo-Olu in Lagos, saying: “My brother, I leave everything in your hands. Look after him for us as a state and if there is anything I should do, I am just a phone call away.”
Upon hearing of the eventual demise of Senator Ajimobi on Thursday, Governor Makinde was again said to have reached out to the former First Lady, who never picked nor returned any of his several calls.
