Wale Akinterinwa, a frontline aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship election in Ondo state, has written a letter to the management of The Nation newspaper over a malicious publication in the Monday, April 22, 2024, edition of the newspaper.
Akinterinwa, in a letter signed by the director of programmes of the Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation, Sola Ajisafe Esq., described the story, with the headline “Aiyedatiwa declared Ondo APC candidate amid protests; Aspirants kick as governor wins in 16 councils; Akinterinwa in EFCC custory” as false, untrue and a fabrication concocted against the person of Mr. Wale Akinterinwa to malign his person and his character.”
He accused the newspaper company of failure to carry out fact-finding due diligence before making the publication. It, therefore asked The Nation newspaper to do a retraction of the story of the publication and tender an unreserved apology within 48 hours, faliure of which it will recause to legal action.
Copy of the letter below:
22nd April, 2024
The Editor-in-Chief,
The Nation Newspaper,
27B, Fatai Atere Way,
Matori, Mushin,
Lagos State.
Dear Sir,
DEFAMATORY AND FALSE PUBLICATION AGAINST THE PERSON OF MR. WALE AKINTERINWA
I write on behalf of Wale Akinterinwa’s Campaign Organization.
Our attention was drawn to your Newspaper publication of Monday 22nd April, 2024 with the caption “Aiyedatiwa declared Ondo APC candidate amid protests; Aspirants kick as governor wins in 16 councils; Akinterinwa in EFCC custody”.
We not only view this publication as defamatory of the person of Mr. Wale Akinterinwa whom your publication tagged as being in EFCC Custody, but that the said publication is itself false, untrue and a fabrication concocted against the person of Mr. Wale Akinterinwa to malign his person and his character.
Your organization failed and or neglected to carry out fact-finding due diligence before making this unfortunate publication. As a matter of fact, Mr. Wale Akinterinwa is not in EFCC custody but in Ondo State. Mr. Wale Akinterinwa was physically present at the just concluded APC primary election in Ile-Oluji, his hometown on Saturday, and he is still in Ile-Oluji as of the time of writing this letter.
Your publication is therefore not only false, it is full of untruths, it is concocted and fabricated to impugn on the integrity and the person of Mr. Wale Akinterinwa.
We therefore demand that you retract this publication and tender an unreserved apology to Mr. Wale Akinterinwa and our campaign organization within 48 hours which same should be published on your print media and online platform.
In the event that you fail to heed our demand, we shall be constrained to cause legal action to be instituted against your organization to press our demand and to ask for punitive damages.
Please be warned.
Yours faithfully,
Sola Ajisafe, Esq.,
Director of Programme,
Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organization.
