Christy Akingboye, widow of the late Bamidele Akingboye, former Social Democratic Party, SDP, governorship candidate in the November 2024 Ondo State election, has publicly defended herself against allegations that she had a hand in her husband’s death.

She insists the claims are 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 to remember 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.

“To my shock, they used AI to paint blood on his face. The real pictures show nothing like that,” she said.

She also faulted the early handling of the case by some police officers, alleging bias and compromise.

She said investigators failed to visit crucial locations, examine his room, condone the scene or review medical records before arresting her and her children. The family was detained for three days shortly after the incident.

Christy said she petitioned higher authorities, leading to the case being reassigned. She noted that a later team of investigators did a more thorough job, visiting the rooms, the balcony, and the neighbouring properties.

One of the new police discoveries, she said, was a second CCTV camera facing their balcony. Still, its footage had been overwritten before officers arrived because the earlier investigators did not act promptly.

She said she lost confidence again when the case was returned to the original unit. She described traumatic repeated summons, her children’s detention fears, and what she believed were attempts to force a murder narrative despite lack of forensic evidence.

She recounted the family’s ordeal last Friday, when she and her children were escorted to Panti after being assured they would not be detained.

According to her, over 20 armed officers were waiting when they arrived. “If not that I prepared my children mentally outside, they would have panicked,” she said.

Christy also raised concerns about the presence of her stepson at police formations long after he had been told the case had moved to another unit. “He has been going to Panti every day. What is he doing there?” she asked.

Despite her distrust of the process, she said she remains hopeful that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will objectively evaluate the case once the police forward their file.

“My hands are clean. God knows the truth. I have nothing to hide,” she said. “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.

“I didn’t kill my husband,” she said. “I loved him and stood by him through everything. I only want the truth to prevail.” (Vanguard)