The Lagos State Government has dismissed as “false in its entirety” a report by online news platform Sahara Reporters claiming that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been ordered to resign on health grounds.
In a strongly worded press statement issued early Tuesday morning, the governor’s media adviser, Gboyega Akosile, said nobody has asked the governor to step down, describing the report as “another fake news” that has become a pattern for the publication.
“Governor Sanwo-Olu remains in good health, of sound mind, and is actively discharging his duties as Governor of Lagos State,” Akosile said.
The statement clarified that earlier on Sunday, Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat paid a courtesy visit to the governor to formally notify him of his intention to contest for the governorship position.
The meeting, according to Akosile, was held in a cordial atmosphere, not a handover of power as the online report allegedly suggested.
“While Sahara Reporters has a track record of publishing disinformation, we are issuing this clarification to prevent the public from being misled by deliberate falsehoods,” the statement read.
The governor’s spokesman noted that the administration would ordinarily ignore such baseless reports, “but the need to reassure Lagosians makes this response necessary.”
The statement comes just a few hours after Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State Executive Council publicly endorsed Hamzat as their preferred candidate for the governorship, a development that has since shaped political discourse in the state.
The government advised the public to disregard the Sahara Reporters story and treat it as fake news.
As of press time, Sahara Reporters had not responded to the government’s rebuttal.
