The Integrity Youth Alliance has called out an online newspaper, The Peoples Gazette over a fake headline on Gov. Sanwo-Olu increasing Alpha Beta’s monthly payment to N2.5 Billion.
According to a press release on Monday, 24th January, 2022 signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the Group, Danjuma Lamido said the smear campaign of calumny against the Lagos State Governor is groundless.
The statement read, “The Peoples Gazette in its report had fabricated a headline that read “EXCLUSIVE: Sanwo-Olu Increases Alpha Beta’s Monthly Payment To N2.5 Billion To Fund Tinubu’s Presidential Election”
“The Peoples Gazette had falsely claimed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu boosted monthly financial allocation to Alpha Beta LLC from N800 million under his two immediate predecessors to N2.5 billion at present, in order to boost the Presidential ambition of Bola Tinubu.
“Despite the response of Bola Tinubu quoted here, “I am not His Excellency Jide Sanwo-Olu,” Mr Tinubu told The Gazette by telephone over the weekend. “I have no control over how state resources are allocated,” the online media still went ahead to publish the fake news.
“The response from the Governor’s Chief spokesman, Gboyega Akosile that “the revenue of the consultant is dependent on the revenue generated by the state” is enough to stop the blackmail from the online platform.
“We challenge the People’s Gazette to show concrete evidence that Bola Tinubu diverted the state funds to his pocket with little resistance from taxpayers and political opposition.
“The Gazette is notorious for spreading outright fake news or fabricating reports out of their own imagination to malign the character and personalities of certain persons they have an agenda against.
“It is on record that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, recently confirmed that it is investigating the publisher of a Nigerian online newspaper, Peoples Gazette, Samuel Ogundipe, for allegedly blackmailing the Chairman of Air Peace airlines, Allen Onyema.
“The publisher of Peoples Gazette, Samuel Ogundipe is a well-known blackmailer that should never be taken seriously, ” the statement concluded.
