Arise News
Eko Hot Blog reports that Arise Television has apologised to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, over a fake report that claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had commenced an investigation into him.
The popular TV station had reported that INEC was probing Tinubu over an alleged indictment for drug-dealing and money laundering in the United States in 1993.
Arise TV quoted a press statement that the electoral umpire has since dismissed as fake.
INEC, in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, on Saturday, described the report as the handiwork of mischief makers.
Consequently, the Management of Arise TV apologised for broadcasting the false report.
APC Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu
The broadcaster’s apology was contained in a statement issued on Sunday.
“Of criminal forfeiture of funds, linked to narcotics, smuggling conspiracy and money laundering against the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we Arise News that carried the news, which has now been denied by after the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC and we apologise most sincerely to the APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the earlier broadcast,” the statement reads.
The apology comes on the heels of the Tinubu campaign’s threat to sue Arise TV and other news organisations that broadcast the fake report.
The Director, Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Saturday, said a suit would be filed over the case “sooner than later.”
“All those people, including Arise TV, BusinessDay, and Channels TV spreading fake news and assassinating the character of Asiwaju Tinubu will meet us in court sooner than later,” he said.
“You have all thrown professionalism and objectivity to Jabi Lake because you are playing the script of your master puppeteers, Atiku and Peter Obi. The height of your shenanigans today was the wide use of a fake INEC statement.”
Click to watch our video of the week
Popular Nigerian pastor Helen Ukpabio has demanded N200 billion in damages from singer Bloody Civilian…
Big Brother Naija ‘Level Up’ winner, Ijeoma Josephina Otabor, popularly known as Phyna, has publicly…
Concerns have intensified among the faculty members of Taraba State University (TSU) in Jalingo after…