Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has said that contrary to rumour, he does not plan to give state pardon to Ramon Adedoyin convicted of the murder of Timothy Adegoke.
In a judgment on May 31, Chief Judge of Osun State Justice Adepele Ojo pronounced Mr Adedoyin and two of his employees guilty of murder.
Mr Adegoke died in November 2021 at Adedoyin’s Hilton Honours Hotel, Ile-Ife. His body was then illegally disposed of.
Adeleke’s spokesman Olawale Rasheed, in a statement on Monday, said there is no plan to pardon Adedoyin, who is also the founder of Oduduwa University.
The statement read, “Reacting to the growing rumour of possible state pardon for the businessman, Governor Adeleke was quoted as noting that his administration never has and will never intervene in the judicial process, labelling those behind the fake news as public enemies.
“Those who concocted the fake news are evil-minded political operatives who are merely grasping at straws in their desperation to blackmail the state Governor.
“Governor Adeleke has not and will never contemplate exercising the prerogative of mercy or whatever the report calls it, on a matter under adjudication which has generated deep interest among local and global communities.”
The statement noted that no PDP member is involved as counsel for any of the convicted individuals.
“We affirm with all sense of responsibility that Governor Adeleke is not at any material time a friend or partner of the owner of Oduduwa University and did not interfere, intervene or manifest any untoward agenda in the arraignment, hearing and sentencing of the accused,” the statement added.
Adedoyin and two of his employees convicted have appealed against the court’s judgement.
