Former Federal Polytechnic Ede Rector Apologises to Ex-Registrar Over Defamation Claims

 

The former Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Dr. John Taiwo Adekolawole, has issued an unreserved public apology to the institution’s former Registrar, Dr. Ogunleye Oladele Alhassan, over defamatory statements made against him during his tenure.

The apology followed a defamation suit filed by Dr. Ogunleye in August 2022, marked SUIT NO: HOS/89/2022, arising from allegations made by Dr. Adekolawole while serving as Rector of the institution.

In a copy of the apology letter made available to journalists, Dr. Adekolawole admitted that he made unverified, defamatory and malicious statements against Dr. Ogunleye, which were recorded in the minutes of a duly constituted Governing Council meeting of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, held on August 5 and 6, 2019.

According to the letter, Dr. Adekolawole acknowledged that he had wrongly informed the Council, without proper verification, about the circumstances surrounding the arrest and detention of Dr. Ogunleye by the police over alleged unlawful possession of a pump-action gun and attempted murder.

The former Rector also expressed deep regret over what he described as the malicious and disparaging treatment he deliberately meted out to Dr. Ogunleye throughout his time in office.

“The defamatory statements against your person, disparaging actions, and the attendant aspersions against your hard-earned reputation, status and public perception, flippantly made consequent upon privileged information without verification, are deeply regretted,” the letter stated.

Dr. Adekolawole further apologised for falsely alleging that Dr. Ogunleye sought a sexual relationship with his wife, a claim that reportedly gained media attention at the time.

“I profusely apologise and intensely regret my spurious claim that you wanted to have a sexual relationship with my wife. The embarrassment caused by my deliberate, uncouth and unthoughtful false claim, purposely made to damage your reputation, is highly regretted, as the claim was a mere figment of my imagination,” he wrote.

Reaffirming his respect for Dr. Ogunleye, Dr. Adekolawole stated unequivocally that he holds the former Registrar in high esteem and regretted any embarrassment, emotional pain, loss of respect, political opportunities, or damage to reputation that may have resulted from his actions.

“I wish to state without any restraint that I hold you in high esteem as a former distinguished colleague and friend. I intensely regret all the pains, wounds and embarrassment my false claims and malicious actions may have caused you and your entire family,” the letter added.

He also expressed regret over any financial and material losses incurred by Dr. Ogunleye as a result of his “reckless and unwarranted actions.”

Meanwhile, a related development had earlier seen a Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, convict and jail a 31-year-old man, Orowole Adekunle, on charges of conspiracy, illegal possession of firearms, false accusation and criminal defamation connected to the same incident.

Orowole was accused of committing the offences on July 2, 2019, by conspiring with others to raise false allegations and criminally defame Dr. Ogunleye Oladele Alhassan, a former Registrar of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede.

Delivering judgment, Magistrate Daramola sentenced the convict to two years’ imprisonment with hard labour for conspiracy and illegal possession of firearms, and a three-year jail term for false accusation and criminal defamation, to run concurrently, with an option of a ₦50,000 fine for each count.

The court said the sentence was mitigated by the fact that the convict was a first-time offender and a single father to a three-year-old daughter.

The full text of Dr. Adekolawole’s apology letter has been made public.