The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun, has withdrawn the libel case he instituted against two Facebook users for circulating falsehood against him.
Recall that some days to the inauguration of the 8th Assembly, there had been widely circulated claims that the Speaker was declared wanted by the FBI for financial fraud.
He (the Speaker) submitted a petition to the Osun State command of the Nigeria Police Force and two persons were apprehended in connection to the claims.
However, the Speaker on Thursday, 8th June 2023, directed that the case be withdrawn.
According to a post he made on his Facebook page, he directed the withdrawal of the case because he received appeals from many well-meaning individuals in the State.
Full text : “I believe politics is a game. I have seen people play it with schemes, falsehood and even blackmail. They see politics as war and think all is fair in war.
“However, I am of the opinion that politics is strictly about service. This is why I will not malign or destroy anyone on the path to political relevance.
“This belief is why I was utterly pained that some persons sat somewhere, concocted a lie and shared it on social media, that I was declared wanted by the FBI.
“For the records, I have never committed any act of illegality, not even a traffic offense. I lived in America for nearly four years and not once did I run foul of the law.
“It was therefore painful that some persons, in a bid to win a political contest, descended so low to the point of attempting to destroy me through that wicked lie.
“I thank law enforcement agents for promptly acting on my petition and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“However, I have received a lot of calls from well-meaning individuals in our State, advising me to withdraw my case against them in the interest of peace and for the protection of the future of those young men concerned.
“I heeded those counsels and directed my Lawyer to withdraw the case on Thursday, 8th June 2023, having also received a letter of apology from the culprits. The case was withdrawn and has been struck out.
“I hope sincerely that the young men have learned their lessons and will henceforth conduct themselves with decorum.
“I also call on the State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress to play politics with decency, going forward. Their press releases wherein they trivialized such criminal act of libel as “mere criticism” showed the barbaric character and behavior of the people saddled with the management of that party at the moment.
We must play politics with decorum, sincerity and respect for the rule of law at all times” he concluded.
