Babcock University Denies Allegations Against Vice Chancellor Candidate Afolarin Ojewole

Babcock University, Ilisan Remo, has categorically dismissed recent allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against Pastor Afolarin Ojewole, the university’s former Associate Vice President for Spiritual Life and a candidate for its upcoming Vice Chancellor position. The university described the circulating report as entirely fabricated, baseless, and a deliberate act of blackmail aimed at undermining both the institution and its leadership succession process.

The controversial report, published by an online platform, claimed that Ojewole was previously sanctioned for sexual infidelity involving a student and is currently being unfairly favored in the competitive race to succeed Professor Ademola Tayo, whose decade-long tenure as Vice Chancellor ends this November. The university’s official spokesperson, Joshua Suleiman, Director of Marketing and Communication, firmly rejected these claims in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday, stressing that no such allegations or disciplinary actions have ever been reported or investigated by the institution.

“The university has never received any formal complaint from any individual or group, including the so-called ‘The Apostles Seventh-Day Adventist advocacy group’ led by Samson Fasasi, against Professor Ojewole,” the statement said. It further highlighted that no disciplinary committee has ever been convened to examine such an allegation, nor has the university engaged in any cover-up.

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Ojewole’s departure from the institution in 2018, the university clarified, was solely due to a leave of absence taken to provide parental support to his children in the United States alongside his wife. This move was unequivocally unrelated to any misconduct.

Emphasizing the integrity of the ongoing selection process, the university assured stakeholders that the University Governing Council 2025 Search Committee operates under the highest spiritual, ethical, and procedural standards, guided by long-standing policies of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which has over a century and a half of history.

“It is incorrect and unfounded to suggest that the Vice Chancellor or any individual is manipulating policies to favor any candidate,” the statement affirmed. The university reaffirmed that the appointment of the President/Vice-Chancellor is a sacred process grounded in merit, intellectual capacity, spiritual soundness, emotional stability, moral uprightness, and proven service to the Church and humanity, free from political interference, lobbying, or compromise.

The management warned that those behind the defamatory claims should cease their malicious attacks. Should such reckless behavior persist, Babcock University will not hesitate to seek legal redress to protect its reputation, the Church, and the individuals targeted.

The university also appealed to all candidates and stakeholders involved in the leadership transition to uphold integrity and avoid tactics that threaten the harmony and respectability of the institution. The leadership selection remains transparent, fair, and strictly merit-based, reaffirming the university’s commitment to all its stakeholders, including students, staff, alumni, and the wider community.