Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi has said he was not responsible for a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari calling for the arrest of President-elect Bola Tinubu.
He said the seditious letter was embarrassing to him and his associates.
Akinyemi had received calls from home and abroad about the fake news, which has exposed the negative impact of unregulated social media.
The elder statesman said the seditious and spurious letter in social media should not be attributed to him.
Akinyemi said it is possible that since his illustrious father, Canon Akinyemi, did not patent his name when he was named, anybody can pose as the bearer of the name.
The former Minister stated,
“My attention has been drawn to the seditious and spurious letter to the President, General Muhammadu Buhari calling for the arrest of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. My name has been attached to this letter.
“I am stating most emphatically that I did not write or authorize this letter.
“I sign my letter Professor A. Bolaji Akinyemi and not in any format.
“I have sought legal advice on this matter and have been advised that since my parents did not patent my name when I was maned, anyone can call himself Bolaji Akinyemi.”
Ijesa-born Akinyemi, a professor of International Relations, is a former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos; an Afenifere intellectual, a member of Uwais Panel on Electoral Reforms, and former Deputy Chairman of the National Conference Committee.