Secretary to Ogun State Government (SSG), Mr. Tokunbo Talabi has asked the Department of State Security Services (DSS) to investigate online reports that he was involved in printing of ballot papers in the last general elections especially the governorship election in Ogun State to compromise the process.
This is even as the Ogun State government has debunked a news report by The Punch newspaper of Saturday August 5, 2023 titled “DSS grills Ogun SSG over ballot paper printing, Covid-19 fund”. “This highly misleading report whose author is notorious for unethical journalism, has left us, like many avid readers of your publications, wondering if this is The Punch that we used to know”, Mr. Adegoke Oyebade, Information Officer at the office of the SSG, Ogun State, wrote in rejoinder to The Punch management.
According to Mr. Oyebade, the report erroneously projected the petitioner as the accused as it was Mr. Talabi that personally went to submit the petition to the DSS office at Abeokuta accompanied by his lawyers. The petition was on the heels of several online reports linking the SSG to Superflux International Limited, a security printing company where he was a Director prior to becoming SSG as being involved in printing ballot papers for the 2023 general election to allegedly compromise the process, laundering Covid-19 fund etc.
But quoting a statement earlier by Superflux International denying these false allegations and widely circulated in both traditional and online media, Oyebade said Talabi had resigned as a Director of the company once discussions had reached a stage when he made up his mind to serve his people in the capacity as SSG. “The company in the said statement also frowned at being tagged as conduit for money laundering, siphoning of Covid-19 funds saying such allegations are clearly handiworks of mischief makers and traducers who were hell bent to tarnish the reputation of the company before its numerous customers and that of it’s former director, who is presently the Secretary to Ogun State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi”.
As at the time of filing this report, the no word has been heard concerning the DSS investigation. But we gathered the both Superflux International Limited and Mr. Tokunbo Talabi may be heading to the courts to clear their names from these false allegations.
