Fashola petitions IGP over allegation of drafting tribunal judgement

Former Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over what he termed as defamatory social media posts.

Recall that a Twitter user, @Jackson Ude, had alleged that Fashola and some lawyers working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) were drafting a favourable judgement for the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).

Ude alleged that the written judgement by Fashola would be handed to the tribunal judges.

However, Fashola, in a petition written by his counsel, Olanrewaju Akinsola, and addressed to the IGP, said the allegation was peddled by Ude, Yoruba Sheikh, and Reportera.NG via Twitter.

The former minister noted that the claim has excessively breached the decent fundamentals of public enlightenment, as the allegation amounts to character assassination.

The petition reads: “It is the position of our client that the publications by the said Jackson Ude, @ReporteraNew and @yorubasheik are false in their entirety and have excessively breached the decent fundamentals of public enlightenment that freedom of the press is constitutionally about.

“The three publications amount to character assassination with a calculated view to achieving damaging effects against our client in his profession as a legal practitioner.

“The accusations are made to cause inconvenience, criminal intimidation, enmity, danger, hatred, and needless anxiety to our client, contrary to the provisions of Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015.

“We hereby request your office to investigate the publications with utmost urgency and seriousness as they also have implications for the independence, impartiality, and integrity of the Nigerian judiciary guaranteed by Section 17 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.”