Daud Olatunji
Babcock University has strongly condemned a report published by an online medium,(MOT PLATFORM TIMES alleging that a candidate vying for the position of President/Vice-Chancellor of the institution was being resisted by a purported church group over alleged sexual infidelity.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Marketing and Communications, Dr. Joshua Suleiman, the institution described the publication as “baseless, fabricated, mischievous and malicious,” warning that it would not hesitate to seek legal redress against those bent on tarnishing its image.
The report, dated September 12, 2025, had claimed that a certain Apostles Seventh-Day Adventist advocacy group, allegedly led by one Elder Samson Fasasi, opposed the candidacy of Professor (Pastor) Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole, a former Associate Vice President for Spiritual Life of the university, on account of alleged sexual misconduct.
But the university dismissed the story, insisting that neither it nor its proprietors, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, recognised such a group or its supposed coordinator.
“As far as the University is concerned, these names and individuals are fictitious and discredited self-seekers masquerading under an unregistered outfit.
“It is disappointing that a platform that calls itself a media house would associate with such faceless miscreants,” the statement read.
The institution also exonerated Ojewole, stressing that he had never been accused, dismissed, or sanctioned for sexual misconduct during his years of service.
It explained that his leave of absence in 2018 was duly processed for family reasons, not as a cover-up for any wrongdoing.
The statement noted that the university never received any report or petition against Ojewole, nor did it set up any disciplinary committee regarding any such allegation.
“It is out of sensible conjecture that an employee who allegedly resigned to cover up misconduct would later be considered for the highest office of the same University,” it added.
On the process of appointing its next President/Vice-Chancellor, the university emphasised that the exercise was not political, subject to lobbying, or open to manipulation, but a “sacred and spiritual process grounded in merit, moral uprightness, and service.”
It also rejected insinuations that the outgoing Vice-Chancellor manipulated university policies to favour a particular candidate, describing such claims as “a figment of the imagination.”
The institution insisted that its 2025 Governing Council Search Committee was operating under the highest ethical standards, guided by the global policies of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which owns and operates more than 118 universities worldwide.
Babcock University warned that it would not tolerate attempts to undermine its integrity or sow discord among stakeholders, vowing to defend its reputation in court if necessary.
“Those behind this defamatory act are sternly warned to desist. Should this reckless conduct persist, the University will pursue appropriate legal redress,” it said.
The statement further urged candidates and their supporters to refrain from using blackmail, propaganda, or falsehood in the ongoing leadership transition.
The institution assured its stakeholders—including students, staff, alumni, parents, and the general public—that the appointment process remained transparent, fair, and merit-driven.
“Babcock University’s legacy of moral integrity, spiritual depth, and academic excellence will never be compromised,” it concluded.
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