The Personal Assistant and Media Adviser to the late Otunba Bamidele Akingboye (popularly known as OBA), Mr. Oyeniyi Iwakun, has dismissed claims that the deceased politician died as a result of depression, mental illness or suicide, insisting that police investigations established a case of murder.
In a detailed press statement dated December 16, 2025, Iwakun, who is also the State Publicity Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ondo State, said recent public narratives surrounding Akingboye’s health were misleading and aimed at distorting the truth about his death.
Iwakun recounted that he first received disturbing calls in the early hours of September 3, 2025, while at his parents’ home in Ode Aye. According to him, repeated attempts to reach Akingboye failed, before the late politician’s eldest son, Mr. Samuel Akingboye, later confirmed the death.
“At that point, no cause of death was known to me,” he said, explaining that he only issued a brief public announcement to manage public pressure as calls flooded in.
He disclosed that later that same day, reports emerged that injuries were observed on Akingboye’s body, prompting the family to approve an autopsy. Graphic images circulating online further deepened public concern, even as answers remained unclear.
Iwakun said conflicting explanations from members of the household, particularly during his condolence visit to Lagos on September 5, raised serious red flags.
He listed several contradictory accounts allegedly given by Akingboye’s wife, Madam Christianah Akingboye, ranging from claims of a medical emergency, to threats linked to a London property transaction, to the possibility of a jogging incident or a scheduled land meeting that made Akingboye stay behind.
“When I asked directly what exactly happened that morning, she said she did not know,” he stated, noting that no consistent or logical explanation was provided.
The media aide said he visited the Ajah Police Division and later the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, after the case was transferred. Though he made no formal statement, he followed proceedings closely.
According to him, about two months later, he was informed that police had concluded investigations and forwarded the case file to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
He referenced a public statement by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, who reportedly confirmed that murder had been established and that some immediate family members and domestic staff were taken into custody, adding that “they have a case to answer.”
“That revelation broke me emotionally,” Iwakun said, explaining his subsequent silence as respect for due process.
Reacting to recent interviews in which Akingboye’s wife and some of his children allegedly claimed he suffered depression, bipolar disorder or mental distress for five years, Iwakun described the assertions as “deeply troubling.”
“I worked closely with OBA from 2019 to 2024. Let me state categorically: OBA had no mental illness, no depression, and no psychological instability,” he said.
He argued that Akingboye’s intense political, social and media engagements across Nigeria and abroad were incompatible with claims of long-term mental instability.
Iwakun highlighted Akingboye’s political career spanning more than 40 years, beginning from the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1983 through several governorship and senatorial aspirations across different parties, including the PDP, DPP and SDP.
He described him as resilient, disciplined and never desperate, noting that he accepted electoral losses with grace and remained mentally alert and hopeful even after the 2024 governorship election.
He also dismissed suggestions that Akingboye was financially ruined by politics, clarifying that the late politician never spent “multi-billion naira election day logistics” funds, though he covered routine political expenses.
Iwakun concluded by stressing that the central issue remains unresolved.
“The real questions are: Who murdered OBA, and why?” he asked.
He maintained that police findings point to foul play, not illness, depression or suicide, and urged the public to remember OBA as “a courageous leader, mentally sound, generous-hearted and unwaveringly committed to public service.”
“Justice must prevail. Justice for OBA,” he declared.
