PRESS RELEASE
A pressure group, the Defenders of Democracy (DOD) on Tuesday said it was appalled at the way figures and facts were manipulated in reporting the 60thbirthday celebration being organized for former Lagos state governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, noting that unfounded allegations and falsehood were served to the unsuspecting public as the truth.
The group said in a statement that the story carried by an online news site was the continuation of an earlier report that “Asiwaju Tinubu has suffered a stroke and was bed-ridden without any confirmation. This was found to be totally false. Again they have now come up with the wild allegation that the money for his birthday was sourced from public funds.” It noted that these allegation all form part of a campaign of calumny being waged against the political leader.
“The figure of N1 billion they mentioned where did they get it? What is the source? They should provide a list of contributors, facts and evidence. It is not enough to make wild allegations and walk away. Nigerians must begin to exact from the online sites the truth and be sick and tired of being served mere rumours, innuendoes, half-truths and sheer blackmail.” The statement challenged.
DOD advised die hard Tinubu haters, whose only past time is character assassination to desist from their wicked past time of spite as it contributes nothing positive to the society.
It noted that Tinubu’s committee of friends had planned a befitting 60th birthday for the national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) long before now without involving any level of government and without involving people in their capacity as public office holders.
“We reliably gathered after a thorough fact finding that these friends and former colleagues met several times and pulled together resources towards the realization of the project. They met severally and laid our plans, mindful of the austere times, the mood of the nation and the need to use Tinubu’s birthday as another opportunity to contemplate the realities on ground in Nigeria.” The statement said.
Alfred Iwalewa
Coordinator
