Says “allegation has caused severe damage to my reputation and professional interests”
Hires Activist-Lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, to drag Deputy Governor to court.
Maxwell Adeyemi Adeleye
22nd September, 2020
In what could be described as an attempt to safeguard his personal integrity and reputation among his corporate peers, Babajide, Son of Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Tuesday, picked up the gauntlet against the state Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi over the allegation that the sum of N430million was paid to him as consultancy service out of the N4.3billion discovered from a secret account by the State Government during a recent financial audit.
Ajayi, candidate of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the October 10th governorship election in the state, had, during his campaign flag-off on Saturday 19th September at Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of the state, accused Babajide of using an unnamed company which the Deputy Governor did not mention, to collect the money from government coffers.
However, angered by the allegation, Akeredolu Jr, in a stern statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, challenged the Deputy Governor to strip himself of immunity to prove his allegations against him in court.
Babajide, a US trained Mining, Electrical and Electronics Engineer, said the allegation which he described as untrue, fabricated and a satanic plot designed to score political goals against him because his father is standing for election, has caused severe damage to his personality and professional interests.
The statement read in parts “my attention has been drawn to the spurious allegations made against me by Hon. Agboola Ajayi, the Gubernatorial candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) during his flag off campaign rally on the 19th of September, 2020 at Ore in Odigbo local government area.
“This deliberate, malicious and mendacious statement has been making the rounds online and on social media platforms.
“The unsubstantiated claim and accusation, designed to mislead the general public and calculated to malign my person for clear political gain, is not only wicked, treacherous and false but clearly most defamatory.
“The allegation, which has been making the round without a face to it has been refuted by the state government when it first surfaced. While I find it imperative to state unambiguously that I do not hold any political office, it is evil and most wicked to make such allegation that exist mainly in the minds of Hon. Agboola, the ZLP candidate and his ilk against me.
“I state with emphasis that it is the greatest disrespect and an intentional distortion of facts for the said Gubernatorial candidate of the ZLP to state inter alia that I siphoned Four hundred and thirty-three million naira of Ondo State’s funds under the disguise of consultancy fees. This allegation which I deny, can only come from someone so lowly and frivolous and unexpected of anyone who holds the high office of a Deputy Governor.
“The statement by Hon. Agboola Ajayi was calculated to disparage my person and credibility and it has caused severe damage to my reputation and professional interests.
“In light of the above, I have instructed my Lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, of the Falana Chambers, to institute legal action against Hon. Agboola Ajayi to claim full damages for the harm the false and malicious statement he made has done to my reputation . He must prove this allegation in the court of law.”If there is any modicum of honesty in the ZLP candidate, I expect that he shows clear willingness to do the honourable thing by stripping himself of his immunity and accept the court process and prove his claims in court of law,” the statement concluded