Osun Poll: Omipidan Accuses Olajengbesi of Spreading Falsehood, Threatens Legal Action

 

By Abdulahi Musa 

 A political communication specialist and guest analyst on TVC, Ismail Omipidan, has accused the spokesperson of the Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, of spreading false information over claims surrounding a planned television interview with the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Osun State, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO).

In a statement titled "Re: What a Mess: Is Olajengbesi a Lawyer or Liar?", Omipidan dismissed as false the allegation that AMBO granted an interview that was later withheld from broadcast because of what Olajengbesi described as a poor performance.

Omipidan said he had initially chosen not to respond to what he described as repeated misinformation from the Imole Campaign Council spokesman but decided to intervene because he was directly involved in the planning of the proposed interview.

According to him, the interview never took place due to unforeseen circumstances, stressing that no recording was made, reviewed, or suppressed for any reason.

"As a guest analyst on TVC, I can state categorically that the claim is an outright falsehood. The interview did not hold, and the allegation that it was withheld because of AMBO's performance is entirely fabricated," he said.

He maintained that, as a political communication professional, he had a duty to ensure accurate information is presented to the public, particularly by individuals in positions of responsibility.

Omipidan also argued that Olajengbesi, being a legal practitioner, was expected to uphold the highest standards of honesty, professionalism, and integrity, adding that political partisanship should not justify the spread of misinformation.

The APC chieftain further noted that Oyebamiji had granted several media interviews in the past, both during his tenure as Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and as the APC governorship candidate, dismissing suggestions that he had performed poorly in media engagements.

He challenged Olajengbesi to provide credible evidence supporting his allegations or publicly retract the statement and tender a written apology to the APC candidate.

Omipidan warned that failure to do so could prompt him to petition the appropriate regulatory body for legal practitioners over what he described as deliberate misinformation and professional misconduct.

He also urged the TVC crew, particularly presenter Femi Akande and the producers of Politics on Sunday, to take note of the controversy, saying it reflected on the conduct of the Imole Campaign Council's spokesperson.

The Imole Campaign Council had not issued a response to Omipidan's latest statement as of the time of filing this report.