It was wailing and gnashing of teeth yesterday in the household of the late strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu when news filtered in from the United States that the politician’s eldest daughter, Hadija has died in the United States of America.
The deceased was said to have died from coronavirus.
A close family member who spoke to this writer hinted that the family is playing it down, ‘they don’t want people to know. You know she lives in New York and if they break the news it could be linked to the deadly virus and the family doesn’t want that. She died in the hospital’. He said.
The deceased immediate brother, ‘Sumi’ is said to be in a bad shape as he is said to be very close to his late sister.
Hadija is claimed to be the first child of the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu from his first marriage.
She was in her late 60’s before her death.
The deceased father, Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Akanji Adedibu was an aristocratic power broker in Oyo State, Nigeria. He was known in his lifetime as the “father of the PDP”. Adedibu was born on October 24, 1927 at Oja-Oba, Ibadan, he was a member of the Olupoyi chieftaincy ruling house. He died on the 11th of June, 2008 .
Adedibu in his lifetime was known to be a polygamist. He fathered many children who amongst them is a medical doctor, Akeem and a former Senator Kamoru.