15th October, 2019
Wazobia FM has apologised and retracted its story on the allegations made by Timi Frank that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo received N90 billion from Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, as campaign funds for 2019 polls.
The radio station apologized to Prof. Osinbajo, saying that it had since discovered, like other well-meaning individuals and Nigerian organisations, including Vanguard Newspaper that the allegations were baseless, untrue and unsubstantiated.
Wazobia FM aired the news report of the unfounded allegations on its popular programme titled: ”Dem Say Dem Say”, retracted the reports, saying ”We are sorry Vice President.”
It tendered its unreserved apology to Prof Osinbajo through the presenter of the programme, popularly known as Expensive James, saying that it erroneously joined the broadcast of fake news.
It was gathered that the Vice President, had through his solicitors, Osaror Ehogbami SAN and Femi Atoyebi SAN, written to the station that the report was meant to tarnish his hard-earned reputation built over the years, saying that Vice President Osinbajo had never been found wanting or linked to any act of corruption in his private or public offices.
In a letter to the station, the solicitors had said that for over four decades, the VP had been a distinguished scholar and legal practitioner and had risen through the ranks and files of his career. The lawyers added that the VP was Attorney General of Lagos State for 8 years and became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2002 with unblemished records.
The station, however, took a swipe at all the media who carried the report, saying evidence had proven that the report was fake news and a calculated attempt to tarnish the image of the Vice President.
The station said: “Christian Association of Nigeria has said that while all the allegations are sponsored by those bent on tarnishing the image of the VP, he is not corrupt.
“If our station has joined those tarnishing the VP’s image to carry out fake news on allegations of the N90 bn, we are sorry because, we don’t have any ulterior motive, especially for unfounded and unsubstantiated reports such as that. We are very sorry Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, don’t be annoyed, because you are a Godly man.”
The presenter added that the station also looked forward to inviting Vice President Osinbajo to the station to tell his side of the story and expose the cabals said to be responsible for the dissemination of the fake news so that the world could hear from him directly.