Political activist, Timi Frank came under fire last night following a retraction by a National Daily Newspaper of a libelous statement made by him against Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
In retracting the story alleging that the nation’s number two citizen received N90b cash from the Federal Inland Revenue Service to prosecute the 2019 presidential polls, Vanguard newspaper stated that it found out that Frank’s claim lacked “factual basis”, thus expressing unreserved apology to Professor Osinbajo for the embarrassment the publication may have caused him.
The development sparked off sharp reactions from political circuits with the preponderant view that Frank is a political mercenary carrying out a brief from his mentor and benefactor, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections.
Some respondents enjoined the media to be wary of political jobbers who skillfully present falsehood in fanciful package and plant same in the media space to achieve sinister objectives.
Frank’s latest antics were said to be part of a series of stunts put together by Atiku to discredit APC.
“The young man’s campaign of calumny against the Vice President is deliberate and the aim is to discredit APC in order to whip up public sentiments for Atiku. I tell you the point-by-point dismissal of his (Atiku’s) petition by the election petition tribunal has devastated them.
“Really, the judgement by the tribunal thoroughly exposed them as frivolous in thinking. Now, they believe the only way they can help their case is by raking up mud against a principal officer of the Buhari government in order to look good at the Supreme Court.” A source revealed.
Frank was said to have started life as “a political jobber in Bayelsa during the administration of D. S. P. Alamiesiegha with reputation for doing any dirty job.”
At the founding of All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014, the Bayelsa-born politician was nominated and sponsored to become the deputy Publicity Secretary of the party by a Atiku.
More so, he was said to have revealed himself as “divisive influence” who delighted in working against party interest and opposing popular views at party meetings “just to attract attention to himself.”
His real agenda became clearer when he started issuing unauthorized statements as APC’s deputy publicity secretary to the embarrassment of the leadership of Chief John Odigie Oyegun and became a willing tool in the sustained campaign to discredit the party and shove Oyegun aside.
Unexpectedly, he joined the bandwagon of Atiku when the latter eventually decamped from APC last year to vie for the presidency on PDP’s platform.
Story by:Our Reporter
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