Former Labour Party governorship candidate in Oyo State, Alhaji Tawfiq Akinwale, has dismissed reports alleging that he had defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), describing the publication as false, misleading and malicious.
In a statement, Akinwale said the report, titled “Former Labour Party Governorship Candidate, Alhaji Tawfiq Tayo Akinwale Dumps APC for APM, Backs Makinde for President, Adekanmbi for Governor,” did not originate from him and should be disregarded by the public.
He stated categorically that he neither granted any interview nor issued any press statement announcing a defection from the APC or endorsing any political figures as claimed in the publication.
According to him, he also did not authorise any individual, journalist or media organisation to publish such claims on his behalf, stressing that he had no conversation with any media outlet regarding the alleged defection or political endorsements.
Akinwale described the report as a complete fabrication capable of misleading members of the public, his supporters, political associates, and well-wishers, insisting that it was a gross misrepresentation of his political position.
He expressed disappointment over what he described as the failure of the publishers to uphold the ethics of journalism, particularly the responsibility to verify information before publication, noting that attributing false statements to an individual without confirmation amounts to professional misconduct.
The former governorship candidate demanded an immediate retraction of the publication and an unreserved public apology with the same prominence accorded the original story, warning that he reserved the right to seek legal redress if the false report was not corrected.
Akinwale, therefore, urged the general public to disregard the publication in its entirety, maintaining that it did not represent his views, political decisions, or public declarations.
