Fashola: I’m Not Drafting Judgment for Presidential Tribunal, It’s Baseless, Defamatory

Former Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN, yesterday, denied allegation that he was involved in the drafting of the judgement for the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) Judges, describing it as baseless and defamatory.

The former minister, who expressed his disappointment with the spread of false information on social media platforms, and called on security agencies to take action against those responsible for the act, believed that the allegations might be part of a wider campaign to undermine the judiciary.

Fashola, while clarifing that he had been away from Abuja for an extended period of time, a development which rendered the claims unfounded, condemned the individuals behind the allegations, and referred to them as agents of destabilization, because it was dangerous.

 He, however, has initiated the process of filing formal petitions against the offensive tweets and online reports with the management of the microblogging site, X (formerly known as Twitter), and the National Communications Commission (NCC).

He also urged the relevant security agencies to treat this matter with utmost seriousness, as it struck at the heart of judicial independence.
Fashola believed that the allegations might be part of a wider campaign to undermine the judiciary by those seeking to manipulate the institution for their own gain, and emphasised the importance of unmasking the perpetrators as well as their sponsors, while ensuring that they faced the appropriate legal consequences.

Conversely, Fashola’s Special Adviser on Media, Mr Hakeem Bello, who signed the press released, further urged members of the public to disregard the false allegations and asked them to report any individuals involved in spreading such to the relevant security agencies.