…maintains ABUAD Founder acts in accordance to Law
A group under the auspices of Justice for Afe Babalola Legacy (JABL) has insisted on the determination to uphold the legacy of the elder statesman and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola.
The group declared it would not fold its arms and allow any upstart human rights advocates to malign the reputation of the legal luminary, adding that the legal step taken by Babalola was in order and in accordance with the legal upright.
It stated that the petition written to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) was not based on the intention of levelling any maltreatment on the human rights activist, Dele Farotimi.
The group stated this at the weekend during a press conference in Ado-Ekiti.
Farotimi is facing a legal charge following the defamatory statements written against the legal icon in his book titled: “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System”, where he alleged Babalola of corrupting the judicial process of the supreme court.
The publicity secretary of the group, Rotimi Opeyeoluwa said that Babalola’s reputation of over 60 years can not be tarnished by an emergency human rights activist.
He noted that what the elder statesman did was in tandem with the rule of law, by calling on Farotimi to provide evidence of his corrupt acts at the Supreme Court.
He said “Aare Afe Babalola cannot be rubbished by upstarts or emergency human rights advocates, whose stock in trade is to trade in lies and bullying.
“Advocacy is not the same thing as peddling lies and resolutely failing to present as much as a shred of evidence to back up claims that have been permanently put into a self-published book.
“As a decent Nigerian, Aare Afe Babalola has steadfastly advocated cases in the law courts from one region to other regions in Nigeria, he believes in the rule of law and remains an unrepentant devotee of the law.
“We are in the courts. We are determined to fight on in trepidly. Mr. Dele Farotimi has nothing to fear but the reward of his actions as prescribed by the law- nothing more, nothing short. Mr Dele Farotimi read law and has practised law for a while in the country, perhaps, many of his followers are not lawyers, hence they resort to the court of the public where they are clamouring with all kinds of illogicality.
“We are not distracted. We are focused. We shall remain in the courts and ensure that justice is served to both Aare Afe Babalola, SAN and Mr. Dele Fatorimi. Both shall have their day in the court(s), we don’t have to develop high blood pressure about this fact.
“Our story is simple, which is that Mr Dele Farotimi is not under any weight of persecution, rather he is facing a prosecutorial process. Let us be guided by this truth and leave needless distractions.”
The convener of the group, Femi Alufa reiterated the commitment of the group to uphold the legacy of the elder statesman, adding that they believe in his honour and reputation, sense of social responsibility and serving humanity with passion. He expressed confidence that truth will prevail at the end of the day.
“There is no humongous of big lies and defamation that can rubbish Babalola’s legacy”. Alufa said.
