Former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has implored the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, to employ legal means to deal with anyone that is involved in a campaign against him.
Abiodun had accused Amosun of plotting to malign his reputation through sponsored advertorials in newspapers and on social media.
According to Abiodun in a statement sent by his media aides, the plot has been traced to a cell of smear campaigners being sponsored by the immediate past governor of the State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
“Recently, Amosun’s loyalists have been coming up with malicious, unfounded, and totally false allegations to incriminate the governor and present him as one who is ineligible to contest the high office he’s occupying,” it said.
It has been observed that the cell which also masterminded the exit of a former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has been activated to conjure and spread damaging and wicked rumours to sully the sterling qualities of Governor Dapo Abiodun because of his re-election aspiration.
“The plan is to use fake advertorials in as many media as possible, both mainstream and social, of faceless individuals with fictitious names to cast aspersions on the Governor.
Reacting to the allegations, Amosun, through a statement from his media office, denied involvement in the smear campaign.
The statement read, “The attention of Senator Ibikunle Amosun has been drawn to a publication alleging that he was planning a smear campaign against the Governor of Ogun State, Mr. Dapo Abiodun.
“Ordinarily, we do not respond to such wild accusations. However, this is one callous accusation that should not be allowed to pass unaddressed.
“For the record, Sen. Amosun is not involved, directly or indirectly, in any campaign against Governor Abiodun or any person for that matter.
“Sen Amosun implores Governor Abiodun to employ every legal means to bring whoever is involved in any such campaign against him, as alleged, to book.”
As envisaged some allegations had been leveled against Abiodun which included his involvement in crime in the United States of America.
There had been some media reports (Punch not included) using a picture claimed to be that of Abiodun when he was 26 years old in the United States of America.
The report said Abiodun violently resisted a police officer and a Secret Service agent as they tried to execute an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
The report read that the warrant was issued after Abiodun failed to appear in court for a previously instituted case of credit card fraud.
But, reacting, Abiodun through a forensic expert, Dr. Abdulhameed Adedeji, dismissed it as a poor hatchet job.
He said the photograph circulating on social media purportedly showing that Abiodun was arrested for criminal activities in the United States in the late 80s was a poor hatchet job.
The statement read “this kind of photoshop is so crude that no self-respecting media outfit can publish it, and it cannot be presented as part of the evidence pool in any court of law.
“I am inclined to believe the claim that it is the handiwork of political adversaries who see that the governor is doing so well and thought of what they could do to discredit him, following their woeful outing at the last election. It is so bad that it will cause considerable embarrassment to anyone who presents it as ‘evidence’ in a court .”