The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has indicated that he was quoted out of context and that he did not accuse the Chief of Staff to the Lagos State Government, Mr Tayo Ayinde of financing Sunday Igboho’s agitation for Yoruba nation.
Adams who made this known in a recent interview added that all that he said about Ayinde in a voice note that went viral recently were mere hearsay and not verified. He said it was part of a private discussion with one of his contacts in the United States and was not meant for public consumption.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo said: “The voice note issue was shocking. It was a conversation with one of my friend’s brothers in the United States. He asked me how to resolve the issue with Sunday Igboho and how I would reconcile with him. I also mentioned a former Chief Security Officer (CSO), whom I call Sadam, Rasak Arogundade. We talked for about an hour and a half, and I mentioned the CSO.
“I said that someone told me, though it wasn’t confirmed, that Tayo Ayinde was financing Sunday Igboho’s activities through Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I was clear that it was unverified, but I relayed it during our private conversation. I mentioned this in confidence, emphasizing that it might not be true.
“However, the voice note was edited; cutting out the part where I clarified that the information wasn’t confirmed, leading to misunderstandings. This selective editing created confusion and spread misinformation. A conversation that lasted one and a half hours was cut down to 17 minutes, distorting our two-hour discussion. They took a portion of my statement, brought the audio out and published it.
“I saw it on their page, and then they started sending me messages, claiming that I defamed them. I believe the case is in court because I saw it on the pages of the newspaper; though I haven’t been served yet. I suppose we will meet in court. The most unfortunate aspect is that Tayo Ayinde, who has never publicly attacked me, has become entangled in this mess.”
Iba Gani Adams added: “Tayo Ayinde is a quiet person who doesn’t talk much. Yet, the other side has bullied me more than anyone else in the world, either by proxy or directly. They’ve called me every name in the book. Some of their bloggers recently claimed that I have a spirit that drinks blood in my house. There has been a lot of nonsense said about me. But, as a public figure, I can’t challenge everything said about me in court.”
“The most unfortunate aspect is the issue with Tayo Ayinde, which I mentioned as something someone told me, but was not confirmed. It became public. I was merely conversing with my friend on WhatsApp; I don’t know how the voice note got out.”
[TheNation]