The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has debunked a viral statement circulating online which attributed to him a claim that he had “accumulated enough money to never be broke again.”
Adelabu also warned members of the public about what he described as ongoing campaigns of misinformation targeted at his person.
In a statement issued on Monday, the minister’s Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, said there was no occasion, either public or private, where Adelabu made such remarks.
Tunji stressed that the statement being circulated online was fabricated and intended to mislead the public.
He added that the claim did not originate from the minister and should therefore be disregarded.
According to the minister’s aide, the viral statement forms part of a broader attempt to tarnish Adelabu’s reputation.
Tunji said the development was consistent with what he described as a growing pattern of coordinated misinformation against the minister.
“This is not an isolated attack. It is part of a sustained effort to malign the person and office of the Honourable Minister through the spread of fake news and deliberate falsehoods,” he said.
The minister further noted that the latest false claim followed the recent circulation of a fake resignation letter purportedly written by him.
Tunji said the letter had earlier been exposed as fabricated.
According to him, the incidents suggest a calculated attempt to discredit the minister.
The minister also linked the wave of misinformation to his rising political profile.
He said the attacks could be connected to his reported interest in contesting the Oyo State governorship seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, some political interests threatened by his growing influence may be responsible for spreading the false claims.
While urging Nigerians to ignore the viral statement, Adelabu advised the public to rely only on verified and credible sources of information.
He also warned against the dangers of spreading unverified content, stressing that misinformation could mislead the public and damage reputations.
