Peoples Gazette Suspends Reporter, Ayoola Babalola, Who Posted Peter Obi/Oyedepo Alleged Audio Leak

Peoples Gazette Suspends Reporter Ayoola Babalola Who Posted Obi/Oyedepo Alleged Audio Leak

Mr Babalola also agreed to attend counselling during the suspension to further enhance his conduct, according to the decision, which was announced in a company-wide memo from Deputy Managing Editor Boladale Adekoya on Tuesday.

“Ayoola Babalola met with the HR, where he was directed to proceed on suspension for one month without pay,” Mr Adekoya said in the internal memo sent to all newsroom employees.

“Mr Babalola is a vibrant and respected member of the organisation’s editorial team,” the publication’s senior staff noted, but stressed the reporter’s “conduct on social media, both from months past and as recently as last weekend, grossly violated the organisation’s guideline on personnel conduct.”

The development is coming few days after the newspaper published a report authored by Babalola alleging that the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, in a phone call sought the support of David Oyedepo to secure Christians’ votes a day to the just concluded presidential election.

According to Peoples Gazette, the management made the decision after carefully reviewing the reporter’s responses to online trolls and concluded that he did not act with decorum and professionalism expected of the medium’s employees.

“Ayoola Babalola met with the HR, where he was directed to proceed on suspension for one month without pay,” the online newspaper stated in the memo.