Igbo Times Publisher Retracts Stories On Soludo, Apologises

The owner and publisher of Igbo Times Magazine and INews, Ejike Ofoegbu Experience, has publicly retracted a series of false stories published about the Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Charles Soludo, and issued an unreserved apology to the governor, his family and the general public.

In a signed statement titled “Public Apology and Full Retraction,” Ofoegbu admitted that the reports he published concerning Governor Soludo and his son were “completely fake, false, fabricated, and untrue,” acknowledging that they were not based on verified facts, credible sources or official statements.

Among the stories he retracted were publications falsely claiming that Governor Soludo disowned his son, Ozo; that Ozo described his father as a drunkard who abused his mother during his childhood; that Governor Soludo joked he “ordered Ozo from Temu” and that his son was Chinese-made; and that Ozo challenged people to organise a drinking competition between his father and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, claiming his father would emerge the winner.

Ofoegbu stated that none of the reports or quotations were genuine and should never have been presented as news.

The publisher also disclosed that the fabricated publications extended beyond those stories. He admitted that Igbo Times Magazine and INews published other false and misleading reports involving Governor Soludo and Peter Obi, including claims that Peter Obi would defeat Soludo in an election. He described those reports as entirely false and unsupported by verified facts.

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According to Ofoegbu, the stories were published in pursuit of online traffic, audience engagement and financial gain. He, however, acknowledged that no amount of money or online attention could justify spreading false information or damaging another person’s reputation.

He accepted full responsibility for the publications and expressed regret over the embarrassment, reputational harm and public misunderstanding they may have caused Governor Soludo, his family, associates and members of the public.

The publisher appealed directly to Governor Soludo for forgiveness and also apologised to the people of Anambra State, readers of Igbo Times Magazine and INews, and everyone who encountered or shared the false publications.

Describing the statement as a full and unconditional retraction, Ofoegbu urged the public to disregard all the affected publications in their entirety and pledged to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again.