Vanguard Newspaper has apologised to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo over the publication of a report by a former spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, alleging that Prof. Osinbajo mismanaged N90 billion given to him by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for the 2019 elections.
Osinbajo’s lawyers had in a letter dated September 24 to the editor of the newspaper demanded an apology and retraction of the report within 24 hours of receipt of the letter.
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“It is clear that the entire publication was a vicious, wicked and reckless ploy to impugn the reputation of our client and lower him in the estimation of right-thinking members of the public. Without any scintilla of evidence you deliberately gave the dubious impression that our client colluded with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to divert public funds to the tune of N90 billion to prosecute the 2019 general elections in the South west region,” part of the letter said.
The newspaper on Wednesday published an apology on its website, saying it holds the Vice President in high esteem.
“On our website publication of Monday, September 23, 2019, we published a story titled ‘N90bn FIRS Election Fund: Osinbajo’s problem, not 2023 politics.’ We have since discovered that the story lacks factual substance and we hereby retract it in its entirety,” the apology read.
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“We tender our profound apology to Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on whom the story touches directly and the All Progressives Congress, A.P.C. for any inconvenience or embarrassment the publication has occasioned them. We hold Professor Osinbajo, S.A.N. in the highest esteem.”
Osinbajo has not reacted to the apology.
