Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke has denied granting the owner of Hilton Hotel, Dr. Rahmon Adedoyin, who was sentenced to death by hanging over the murder of a Masters student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Timothy Adegoke, state pardon.
Justice Oyebola Ojo sentenced Adedoyin and two staff to death by hanging on May 31, 2023.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke denied speculations he has perfected plans to release Adedoyin.
He maintained his administration has never and will never intervene in the judicial process, labeling those behind the fake news as public enemies.
According to him: “Those who concocted the fake news are evil-minded political operatives who are merely grasping at straws in their desperation to blackmail the Governor. Governor Adeleke has not and will never contemplate exercising the prerogative of mercy or whatever the report calls it, on a matter under adjudication which has generated deep interest among local and global communities.
“We affirm with all sense of responsibility that Governor Adeleke is not at any material time a friend or partner of the owner of Oduduwa University and did not interfere, intervene or manifest any untoward agenda in the arraignment, hearing and sentencing of the accused.
“We urged the members of the public to ignore the repeated rumors of state pardon by Governor Adeleke for the convict and the watery push to link service records of a state judicial official to a popular verdict on the gruesome murder of a postgraduate student. Those peddling such lies are agents of darkness acting on behalf of disgruntled, dark political elements. They are better ignored.”
