Late Akingboye’s Son Issues Rebuttal Over Claims on Father’s Life and Health

Zion Akinbamidele Akingboye, son of the late governorship candidate and businessman, Otunba Bamidele Akingboye (OBA), has issued a rebuttal to recent claims by his father’s former aide, Mr. Oyeniyi Iwakun, accusing him of making false assertions that, he said, undermine his father’s legacy.

In a statement, Zion described Iwakun’s press statement as what he termed “a compilation of falsehoods, distortions and selective omissions,” adding that he found the public denial of his father’s medical history to be irresponsible.

Reacting to Iwakun’s assertion that OBA never suffered from mental illness, Zion said the claim, in his view, reflected either a lack of knowledge or a deliberate misrepresentation by someone who had worked closely with the deceased.

“For clarity, my father was diagnosed in 2019 with Bipolar Affective Disorder with psychotic symptoms by qualified psychiatrists in Nigeria,” Zion said, explaining that he decided to speak publicly in response to what he described as the repeated circulation of inaccurate narratives.

He stated that medical records exist which, according to him, support the diagnosis, adding that healthcare facilities, including Southern Gem Hospital, are familiar with his father’s treatment history.

Zion further said that upon his father’s return to Nigeria at the time, he was assessed at Synthesiz Psychological Health Consultants by Dr. Femi Olugbile, a former Chief Medical Director, who, he claimed, independently diagnosed him with Bipolar Affective Disorder in the manic phase, a conclusion he said aligned with earlier assessments.

According to Zion, during his father’s political engagements and election campaigns, the family took steps to manage his health responsibly, including medical supervision, treatment, rest and regulated public appearances.

He accused Iwakun of being aware of his father’s condition, alleging that in July 2019, the former aide personally accompanied OBA home after a youth meeting where, he said, his father showed signs of a manic episode while addressing the audience.

Zion further alleged that Iwakun recorded a video of OBA during the event while he was, in his words, speaking incoherently, describing the act as inappropriate. He said the video was later deleted following the intervention of a family friend, Mr. Wale Kalejaiye, to prevent what he described as the possible misuse of the footage.

Describing Iwakun’s current position as “morally indefensible,” Zion alleged that the former aide was aligned with individuals whom he claimed were advancing narratives for personal benefit.

He maintained that acknowledging his father’s medical condition does not diminish his achievements or legacy, but warned that what he described as the deliberate distortion of facts relating to his father’s health and life would continue to be challenged.

“The truth about my father’s life and health should not be misrepresented,” Zion said, calling on Iwakun to stop what he described as actions capable of dishonouring his father’s memory.