Babatunde Fashola, the former Governor of Lagos State in Southwest Nigeria and ex-Minister of Works and Housing, has lodged a petition with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in response to “defamatory” content circulating on social media platforms.
As reported by Gatekeepers News, the posts in question insinuated that Fashola was involved in crafting a favorable judgment for the presidential election petition tribunal. These claims were disseminated by various Twitter users, including Jackson Ude, who asserted that Fashola and some lawyers from the All Progressives Congress (APC) were shaping the tribunal’s judgment.
In response, Fashola dismissed these allegations as “baseless and defamatory.”
Addressing the IGP in a petition composed by his legal representative, Olanrewaju Akinsola, Fashola labeled the accusations as character assassination and requested an investigation into the matter. He stressed the gravity of the situation given the importance of judicial independence and the sensitive nature of the presidential election petition proceedings.
Fashola’s petition urged the police to take immediate action and delve into the claims made on Twitter, emphasizing the potential implications not only for his personal reputation but also for the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary. The petition underscored the violation of cybercrime legislation and invoked the constitutional guarantee of judicial independence and impartiality.
The former Lagos governor’s proactive response underscores the growing need to address and counteract the spread of false information on social media platforms.