Just two days ago, the executive governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdurrahman Abdurrazaq in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye threatened a lawsuit against an Ilorin based newspaper-National Pilot over a report claiming that two brand new bullet proof cars were covertly delivered to him and his wife in Lagos state.
Alhaji AbdulRazaq, however in the statement threatened to swing into legal action if the newspaper outfit fails to issue a release retracting the “fake news” within 24 hours from 25th October, 2019.
“As I said in the terse response to the editor and Mumini AbdulKareem, the writer of the story, the Governor has taken no delivery of any bulletproof vehicles, Lexus Jeep or otherwise. The photographs published as proof of such delivery are a figment of the imagination of the reporter. Anybody could take any shot of any vehicle anywhere and tag it anything. But we insist that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has taken delivery of no such vehicle. The Governor, as a mark of his modesty, still drives in his personal Lexus Jeep and other vehicles owned by him.
“We therefore challenge your newspaper to provide unassailable proofs of your claims to show that the Governor has truly taken delivery of such vehicle. In the absence of such proofs, as we are definitely sure there is none, we demand the following:
“Immediate retraction of the story on all platforms or media. This retraction should have the same prominence as the fake news; a public apology disavowing the said story. This again should be given the same prominence as the copy complained about; a letter of apology to the Governor for the reckless copy; and an assurance that the National Pilot will desist from publishing fake news against the Governor.”
“His decision to be prudent with public funds is deliberate and is a pointer to his philosophy of selfless service to the people. His administration is a clear departure from the rapacious regimes Kwarans have recently rejected. The National Pilot is gravely mistaken to think that Governor AbdulRazaq belongs in that horrible past. This Governor, being a true son of the soil, fully appreciates the need to conserve scarce public funds to serve the best interest of the suffering people of Kwara State. He will therefore never engage in reckless spending of public funds. Omo onilu oni je o tu!
“Going forward, we’ll like to state that the Governor is a citizen and a public official who reserves the right to keep his good name and that of his family. The Governor also reserves the right to seek legal redress in the event that the demands above are not met within 24 hours from 25 October, 2019.”
As at the time of filing this report, Theinformant247 learnt that the newspaper outfit is yet to issue any retracting statement expressing remorse or apologies to that effect.
Whether the governor will seek a legal redress in a bid to salvage his smeared reputation in the court of law as contained in a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary is left to be seen.
