The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Mahood Lekan Balogun, and the Olubadan Advisory Council, Tuesday, said there was never a time they endorsed the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, for the 2023 general elections.
Oba Balogun and the advisory council in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan described the report of the purported endorsement of Obi as “false and self concocted one to mislead the general public.”
The royal father in the statement by his personal assistant, Media, Mr Oladele Ogunsola, stated that contrary to the claim of the purported endorsement, in response to the campaign speech made by Obi, High Chief Eddy Oyewole, offered prayers for him on his ambition.
“In the offensive video being widely circulated by Obi’s handlers, High Chief Oyewole was seeing praying for the success of the party at the polls and one cannot but wonder how did that become an endorsement or are Obi’s sympathisers looking forward to the palace cursing him? God forbid,” it said.
The statement added: “The palace could have ignored the report and dismissed it with a wave of hand, but with the torrents of inquiries by some of our credible media houses seeking clarification before publishing and the need to counter social media trending of the foul report without professional touch, this reaction becomes imperative.
“How could anybody have in his or wildest imagination assume that a presidential candidate of any political party would receive an open endorsement from a place like the palace of Olubadan? That must be a crude joke carried too far. It is preposterous to say the least.”
