Thelma Osatohanmwen
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has issued a stern warning to Oladotun Hassan, a legal practitioner, regarding accusations of certificate forgery, giving him a seven-day ultimatum to retract the allegations and issue a public apology, failing which legal action will be pursued.
In a letter titled “Defamatory Publications Against Mr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa,” written by the governor’s counsel, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, Aiyedatiwa demanded a retraction of the accusations and an apology to be published in three national dailies.
The letter, dated April 8, was addressed to Hassan and made available to the press in Abuja.
The letter highlighted Hassan’s submission of an unsolicited complaint to the Nigeria Police Force on June 2, 2023, alleging misrepresentation, certificate forgery, examination malpractice, and perjury against Governor Aiyedatiwa.
However, the governor’s counsel argued that Hassan lacked the necessary credentials to file such a complaint, as he is neither a registered voter nor an indigene of Ondo State.
Adegboruwa accused Hassan of orchestrating a malicious campaign to discredit Governor Aiyedatiwa, citing a letter circulated to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat with the aim of disqualifying the governor from participating in the party’s primary election scheduled for April 2024.
Adegboruwa alleged that Hassan’s recent letter, dated April 5, accused Governor Aiyedatiwa of conspiring with DIG Sylvester Alabi to compromise police integrity rather than clearing his name on the alleged forgery.
Consequently, Governor Aiyedatiwa’s counsel issued seven demands to Hassan, including adequate compensation for the false and libelous publications, within seven days of receiving the letter. Failure to comply with the demands would result in criminal charges being filed against Hassan.