Samuel Ajose, a contender for governor of Lagos State, has rejected a news release that said he supported Obafemi Hamzat, the deputy governor, as his party’s nominee.
Ajose called the widely shared press release “false and unauthorized” in a post on Thursday using his verified X handle.
He said that neither he nor his campaign organization was the source of the release, which also implied that he supported choices made by the state’s Governance Advisory Council.
“My attention has been drawn to the circulation of a false and unauthorized press release in the Nigerian media, purporting to convey my endorsement of Dr. Hamzat as our party’s candidate for governor of Lagos State and my support for the decisions of the state’s GAC, a process in which I played no part,” he stated.
The APC leader urged the people and media outlets to ignore the statement and prevent it from spreading further, characterizing the publication as deceptive and hostile.
This publication is fake, unapproved, and malicious. It does not reflect my stance, the stance of my campaign, or the stance of anyone who has been given permission to speak on my behalf.
“I implore my followers nationwide and the decent people of Lagos State to completely ignore it. I further implore responsible media outlets to stop spreading what is, legally speaking, a libelous and maybe illegal tool intended to sway public opinion and harm my reputation,” he stated.
Additionally, the APC candidate for governor warned those in charge of disseminating the paper and demanded its immediate retraction.
“This notice is given to all parties who have published or are still disseminating this content; retraction and complete deletion must take place within 12 hours. Without further notice, legal actions for electoral and reputational harm will be taken,” he declared.
