Labour Party Members Reject Defamatory Report Against Former Minister
In a statement issued by the Core Social Democrats, a group of Labour Party members in the South-South region of Nigeria has rejected a defamatory report against Senator Nenadi Usman, the former Minister of Finance. The report, published by an online news platform, claimed that Usman is currently being prosecuted in various courts for alleged financial fraud.
According to the report, Usman returned ₦140 million out of the ₦2.5 billion allegedly received from the office of the former National Security Adviser ahead of the 2015 presidential election. It was also reported that she surrendered two of her houses to the federal government as a condition for her release from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
However, the Labour Party members have denied these allegations, stating that the report is malicious and unfounded. In a statement issued by the group’s leader, Eric Ifere, they claimed that the charges levelled against Usman were quashed by the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, presided over by Justice Mohammed Ambi-Usi, on 20th April 2023.
The statement read, "We, the Core Social Democrat members of the Labour Party of Nigeria in the South-South of Nigeria, have noticed the malicious lies perpetrated by an online news platform against our newly appointed chairman of the caretaker committee of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Esther Usman. We note that the publication of 6th September 2024, stating that Senator Usman returned ₦140 million out of the ₦2.5 billion allegedly received from the office of the former National Security Adviser ahead of the 2015 presidential election and further surrendered two of her houses to the federal government as a condition for her release from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is false, unfounded, and malicious."
The group has demanded that the news platform retract the defamatory story and issue a public apology immediately. Failure to do so could result in legal action from Senator Nenadi Usman, which would damage the reputation of Sahara Reporters and incur significant costs.
The Labour Party members have also urged the news platform to act responsibly and correct the grave injustice they have done to Senator Nenadi’s reputation without further delay. This is a matter of justice and fairness that they, as the Labour Party, are committed to uphold.
The caretaker committee, led by Senator Usman, is tasked with rescuing the party from its current leadership crisis and organising a convention where a new party leader would emerge from the ward to the national stage within 90 days.
