FUOYE's VC, Joshua Ogunwole. CREDIT: School management

The management of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti has described as untrue reports that the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, who served as the Chief Returning Officer for the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, was arrested and detained by the police in Abuja.

FUOYE Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Dr Sunday Saanu, said the reports of arrest and detention “are entirely false, baseless, and deliberately fabricated.”

Saanu said in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday that “Prof. Ogunwole has not been arrested, detained, or invited by the police or any other security agency in connection with his official duties as Returning Officer or for any other reason.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, the substantive VC of FUOYE, successfully discharged his responsibilities as the Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer for the Osun State Governorship Election.

“In that capacity, he declared the incumbent Governor, Mr Ademola Adeleke, as the winner of the election following the conclusion of the process,” the statement said.

The university management, which stated that “at no point has he (VC) been in the custody of any security agency,” urged members of the public “to disregard the false reports in their entirety and to treat all unverified social media claims with the highest level of caution.”

It noted that after the election, Ogunwole left Oye-Ekiti on Monday for Abuja on official university business, adding, “He travelled to the Federal Capital Territory to attend to critical administrative and institutional matters affecting the university.

“It is deeply regrettable that some individuals chose to spread fabricated stories aimed at causing unnecessary anxiety among members of the university community, the people of Osun State, and the general public.

“The university management strongly condemns this reckless dissemination of fake news. The management reassures all stakeholders that Prof. Ogunwole remains free, fully engaged in his duties as VC, and continues to work diligently and round the clock to reposition FUOYE for greater academic excellence and institutional growth.

“The university remains committed to transparency and will continue to provide accurate information on matters affecting the institution and its leadership,” the management stated.