Soludo Insists On  Blogger’s Prosecution, Rejects Apology, Over ‘Satanic Lies’

By Adesina Soyooye

Ejike Ofoegbu, a Blogger, is in deep trouble. He may end up a convict if the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo and his family do not change their minds and forgive him.

For, there seems to be no headway for him as the Soludo family insists on legal action. The family is demanding accountability  over what it described as satanic lies screwed by Ofoegbu against the Soludo family.

Ofoegbu, the Publisher of Igbo Times and INews  found trouble when he posted very damaging  stories against the Soludo family including that Soludo publicly said that he had, for years, disowned his first son, Ozonna, as a member of the Soludo family.

Stung by the embarrassing posts which were false, Soludo decided to take legal action.

On arrest, and seeing that trouble was afoot, Ofoegbu profusely, apologised, publicly to Governor Soludo and his son over the series of false stories.

In his retraction of the stories and subsequent apology, he admitted that the stories were fabricated, and begged for forgiveness.

His letter reads:

PUBLIC APOLOGY AND FULL RETRACTION

My name is Ejike Ofoegbu Experience, the owner and publisher of Igbo Times Magazine and INews.

I wish to offer my deepest and most sincere apology to Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, the Executive Governor of Anambra State, his family, and the general public.

I publicly admit that the stories I published concerning Governor Soludo and his son were completely fake, false, fabricated, and untrue. They did not come from Governor Soludo, his son, his family, or any official representative. They were not based on any verified facts or credible sources and they should never have been presented as news.

The false posts I published included:

* “Breaking News: ‘I will arrest anyone who calls Ozo my son. He is not my son. I disowned him years ago, and he is no longer a member of the Soludo family.’”
* “Just In: I Don’t Take Advice From My Father. He Was a Drunkard Who Beat My Mom When I Was Young. His Treatment of My Mother Made Me Decide Never to Take Advice From Him — ‘Soludo’s Son’ Speaks Out.”
* “Breaking News: ‘I ordered Ozo from Temu. He is Chinese-made, not my son. Even at the hospital when he was born, I asked the doctor, ‘I hope you didn’t accidentally exchange my real son.’ Ozo is from Temu,’ Soludo jokingly told reporters.”
* “Breaking News: ‘They should organize a drinking competition between my father and Wike. I just want to see something. I’m willing to bet my life that my father would win. People don’t understand his drinking capacity.’ — Ozo.”

I state clearly and without reservation that every one of the statements above was fake. They should not be regarded as factual reports or genuine quotations. I take full responsibility for publishing them.

I also wish to acknowledge that the false posts listed above were not the only fabricated stories I published about Governor Soludo. Among other posts on Igbo Times Magazine and INews, I also published false and misleading stories involving Governor Soludo and Mr. Peter Obi, including claims that Mr. Peter Obi would defeat Governor Soludo in an election. Those stories were also completely false, were not based on any verified facts, and should never have been published.

I sincerely admit that I published such stories in pursuit of online traffic, audience engagement, and financial gain. I now realize that no amount of money or online attention can justify spreading false information or damaging another person’s reputation. I deeply regret my actions and accept full responsibility for everything I published.

I deeply regret the embarrassment, reputational harm, and misunderstanding these fabricated stories may have caused to Governor Soludo, his family, his associates, and members of the public.

To Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, I respectfully and humbly ask for your forgiveness. I sincerely apologize for my actions and for publishing information that was false.

I also apologize to the people of Anambra State, readers of Igbo Times Magazine and INews, and everyone who may have seen or shared these false publications. I am committed to correcting this mistake and ensuring that such an incident does not happen again.

This statement serves as my full and unconditional retraction of those publications. They were false, fabricated, and should be disregarded in their entirety.

Once again, I sincerely ask Governor Soludo, his family, and the general public to forgive me.

Signed

Ejike Ofoegbu Experience
Owner & Publisher, Igbo Times Magazine and INews

But Governor Soludo is not impressed. He insists on continuing with a legal action.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Christian Aburime, the Anambra State Government posited that the damages Ofoegbu did by his false stories are so monumental that apologies alone are not enough.

According to Aburime,  Ofoegbu offence was not only  intentional,  not only “irresponsible journalism,” or a “lapse in judgment,” but a deliberate, calculated, and criminal assault on truth.

“One that he now apologetically admits was motivated by nothing other than online traffic, audience engagement, and financial gain.

“The walls have closed in. Now that the long arm of the law has reached his doorstep, Ofoegbu has issued what he calls a “Public Apology and Full Retraction.”

It is not known if Soludo would finally forgive him or not.  For now, a close source to the Governor disclosed, “his heart is heavy.”