Oyo deputy gov barred from Ajimobi’s 8th-day prayer

Oyo State deputy governor, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, was allegedly barred on Saturday from attending the 8th day prayer for the late former governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.

Ajimobi died of coronavirus complications on June 25 and was buried three days after due to disagreement between his family and the state government on where he was to be buried.

His wife, Florence Ajimobi, thereafter accused the state government of playing politics with her husband’s death.

But Olaniyan was said to have been denied entrance to the venue of the 8th day prayer for Ajimobi in Ibadan by members of his family and a few of his friends.

The family, however, denied barring the number citizen of the state, saying they were not aware he came.

The family said though the event was announced as strictly a family affair, some dignitaries who arrived for the event prior to the commencement of the prayers were permitted entry.

A report on the social media on Saturday had said the delegation of the state government, led by the deputy governor, was barred from gaining access to the venue of the prayer, but the family said it was not true.

The family in a letter by the spokesperson of the late governor, Bolaji Tunji, said the family had to comply strictly with the COVID-19 safety protocols as established by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) which include social distancing, and prohibition of meeting of more than 30 people in a place.

He noted that the gate of the compound of the venue was locked when the limited seats were fully occupied, adding that no one was aware that the deputy governor was coming as neither the advance team nor his protocols informed the family.

He explained that by the time the representative of the family got to the gate to usher the deputy governor into the sitting room, he had left.

The family noted that they got to the deputy governor through a serving senator and a former Attorney General in the state to apologise to him.