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    On the night of Thursday, 18th June, the immediate past governor of Oyo state, Senator Ajibola Isiaka Ajimobi was reported dead by some media personalities who claim to be privy to his health situation. Particularly, a verified Twitter handle by the name of @Aledeh, as well as the award-winning investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, claimed to have been fed the details of Ajimobi’s passing by a source very close to the Ajimobi family.  
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  However, other sources who are conversant with the matter have come out to claim that the death announcement was only a rumour being peddled by unscrupulous elements within the ruling All Progressive’s Congress (APC) to know the true situation of the former governor. There were already myriads and mixes of condolence messages, didactic reflections, sympathetic and joyous comments from social media users before the rumours of Ajimobi’s death was quashed.

Background

Recall that Ajimobi had on Wednesday been declared Acting Chairman of the APC upon the Appeal Court ruling which affirmed the suspension of embattled APC chairman, Adams Oshiomole. Ajimobi had also been stricken with the widespread coronavirus for which he has been receiving treatment in a private medical facility in Lagos. Notwithstanding the health status of Ajimobi, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) went ahead to name Ajimobi the Acting chairman who will replace Oshiomole. After the announcement, both party faithful and observers within the country remained puzzled as to what fate would befall the APC if Ajimobi dies from complications of COVID-19. It was, therefore, in the shocking atmosphere that news of Ajimobi’s death broke into the media. In the same vein, media sources from the incumbent government in Oyo state claimed that Governor Seyi Makinde has been trying to reach out to Ajimobi’s family in Lagos to no avail. Makinde, a survivor of COVID-19 himself, was reportedly reaching out to ensure that Ajimobi got the best care possible. It is worthy of note that Oyo state, which has one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 (764) cases in Nigeria and one of the few states which never went into lockdown, also has one of the lowest case-fatality rates in the country with only 9 deaths and 281 recoveries. Hence, it is believed that respite for Ajimobi might be waiting in Oyo state while he is instead battling for his life in private care in Lagos. Conclusion: The reported death of Senator Ajibola Ajimobi has been debunked outright by his daughter. Ajimobi’s spokesman, Bolaji Tunji, also confirmed to Punch Newspapers that Ajimobi is not dead. However, the erstwhile governor of Oyo state who once referred to himself as ‘Constituted Authority’ is said to be in on life support as he has an underlying health condition which the COVID-19 virus has worsened. Sources: Sahara Reporters @fisayosoyombo – Twitter Featured Image Source: The Guardian NG
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This article was first published on 19th June 2020

adedoyin

Macaddy is mostly a farmer in the day who also dabbles into technology at night, in search of other cutting edge intersections. He's on Twitter @i_fix_you

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