The Guardian Newspaper has publicly apologised to Senator Ibikunle Amosun, former Governor of Ogun State, for publishing what it has now admitted was a “malicious and defamatory” article regarding the siting of the Dangote Refinery.
The Guardian’s apology follows a controversial piece titled “A Sunday with Aliko Dangote,” which appeared in its edition of July 20-21, 2024.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that The article alleged that the Dangote Refinery, now situated in Lagos State, could not be established in Ogun State due to unethical demands made by the state government under Amosun’s leadership.
The publication went as far as to imply that corruption was a key factor in the refinery’s relocation to Lagos, a claim that drew immediate and forceful repudiation from Amosun.
Reacting to the publication, Amosun, through his legal representatives, Copley Partners, issued a “Cease and Desist” letter to The Guardian, which was also obtained by PLATFORM TIMES.
The letter described the allegations as “false and malicious,” asserting that The Guardian had failed to uphold basic journalistic standards by not verifying the claims before publication.
The former governor’s legal team accused the newspaper of violating professional ethics by disseminating unsubstantiated information designed to tarnish Amosun’s reputation.
In the letter, Amosun’s lawyers demanded an immediate retraction of the defamatory statements, accompanied by a full-page apology in The Guardian Weekend Newspaper, to be issued within seven days.
The Guardian responded to this demand in its publication on Saturday, August 10, 2024.
The newspaper not only retracted the earlier statements but also tendered a comprehensive apology to Senator Amosun.
The retraction read, “The statement contained within The Guardian publication of July 20/21, 2024: ‘The refinery… but the state government had delayed in providing the land because the governor then was making unethical demands….. that’s one of the negative outcomes of corruption,’ is hereby fully and unreservedly retracted.”
The Guardian further acknowledged that there was never any intention to defame, malign, or injure the former governor, either directly or indirectly, stating, “The Guardian Limited hereby tenders a full and unreserved apology to the former Governor of Ogun State, His Excellency, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (CON), as there was no intention to besmirch, defame, injure, malign, nor smear him directly nor indirectly.”
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