Olayiwola Matthew
Widow of the late Bamidele Akingboye, former Social Democratic Party, SDP, governorship candidate in the November 2024 Ondo State election, Christy Akingboye, has publicly defended herself against allegations that she had a hand in her husband’s death.
She insists the claims against her were cruel, false and deliberately orchestrated to smear her and her children.
Speaking in Lagos, Christy narrated a turbulent five-year struggle with her husband’s deteriorating mental health and the emotional toll it took on the family.
She said she remained silent for weeks after his death to protect his dignity, their children and grandchildren and to avoid stigmatising him.
According to her, Bamidele was diagnosed with bipolar manic disorder in 2019, a condition that triggered multiple episodes of severe mania, suicidal tendencies and erratic behaviour.
She said the illness worsened under the strain of political campaigns, heavy debts and sleepless nights.
“He was my friend. I didn’t just lose a husband, I lost my better half,” she said, describing a close marriage where they shared almost everything.
“We went through two major episodes in 2019. My daughter even saved him from jumping off our balcony. Another time, in Dubai, the police had to take him to a psychiatric hospital.”
She listed hospitals and specialists who treated him in Lagos, Dubai, Abuja, and later in Lagos again, noting that the family battled the illness quietly to protect him.
She said the late politician’s stress level was “extremely high” during and after his political engagements.
Christy stressed that her husband’s financial worries worsened his condition, stating that before his death, he had shared a long list of debts, some running into hundreds of millions of naira.
She added that he repeatedly expressed fear that creditors might involve law enforcement agencies.
She disclosed that she had initially chosen not to publicly disclose his suicide attempts, including the final episode that led to his death, because of cultural stigma and to protect his political legacy.
“In our society, suicide is something people weaponise. I didn’t want my husband remembered that way,” she said.
According to Christy, trouble began when her stepson, Samuel Akingboye, whom she referred to as her son, accused her of killing their father.
She said she expected him to step in as a stabilising figure after the tragedy, but instead “he went the route of blackmail, fabrications and media attacks.”
Christy accused him of creating doctored photographs to spread allegations of domestic abuse and murder.
She displayed what she said were the real mortuary photographs showing her husband without bruises, cuts or the injuries that were circulated online.
“My hands are clean. God knows the truth. I have nothing to hide. He was my friend. I fought for his life for years. His children saw the episodes, they know what happened. They all need therapy after this.”
Christy urged authorities to focus on her late husband’s medical records and long battle with mental illness, saying that only a fair and thorough review can clear the air and bring closure.