A mild drama played out in the Senate yesterday, as the murder of Nigeria’s former minister of Justice and Attorney General, Chief Bola Ige, resurfaced during the second day into the screening of ministerial nominees by the upper chamber.
Blueprint recalls that the Federal Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige was on December 23, 2001, shot dead in his bedroom at his Bodija, Ibadan residence, after he returned from Lagos at about 8.30pm.
Midway into yesterday’s screening exercise, one of the nominees from Ondo state, Alhaji Abduljelili Oyewale Adesiyan, in his presentation to the Senate made a public denial of his involvement in the death of the former minister and attorney general.
“I am delighted and highly honoured to be standing before you this day as a nominee from Osun State. I am an educationist as contained in my CV before you. I am a member of Afenire and also a pro-democracy activist of the NADECO stool. But I have a blend of experience in educational study and education administration as a former Commissioner of Education in Osun State.
“I blend my wealth of political experience as a committed party man through the UPN to SDP to AD and now to PDP. I am not just an educationist but a pro-democracy grassroots politician.”
The nominee continued: “Distinguished senators, I also want to inform you that I was wrongly accused of having hand in the death of my political mentor, Uncle Bola Ige. I want to say here, before you the representatives of the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that such accusation is political blackmail.
“I was wrongly accused and detained for more than three and halve years over something I knew nothing about. I was tried by a court of competent jurisdiction in this country and I was discharged. I want to say once again, before man and God that I, Abduljeli Oyawale Adesiyan,I know nothing about the assassination of Chief Bola Ige, I am innocent.”
