Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has threatened to sue the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, for accusing him of orchestrating planned protests in Nigeria.
On Saturday, Onanuga posted on his verified X handle that Obi’s supporters were behind the planned nationwide protests against President Tinubu’s administration. He added that the former Anambra governor would be held responsible for any liabilities arising from the demonstrations in August.
In a swift response, the Labour Party, through its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, refuted Onanuga’s allegations, calling them a figment of his imagination.
Obi, in a letter addressed to Onanuga via his lawyer, Chief Alex Ejesieme, SAN, described the presidential aide’s comments as defamatory to his reputation and personality. The letter demanded N5 billion in damages and ordered Onanuga to retract his statement through various national dailies. It also required Onanuga to issue an unreserved apology within 72 hours of receiving the letter.
The letter reads:
“The central theme of your referenced statement from an unbiased and objective examination thereof, is that our Client is an anarchist who, whilst working in consonance with terrorist groups, has championed the mobilization of several nationwide protests in a bitter and undemocratic bid to usurp the Federal Government, possibly as restitution for failure at the 2023 presidential elections.
“Our Client denies the entirety of the falsehood contained in the said publication and insists that there is no modicum of truth in the allegations preferred against him in your published statement that has since gone viral on the internet and its various social media platforms.
“The said statements are in every sense malicious and convey with them, the potentiality of an ostracization of our Client by well-meaning citizens of Nigeria.
“It should be stated without any form of equivocation that our Client is an elder statesman, a diplomat, and an unwavering democrat. He has always tailored his affairs according to the dictates of Nigerian law. Where there has been any dissatisfaction with any process or procedure, our Client’s first and only resort has been to invoke the appropriate legal mechanisms to ventilate his grievances.
“As a matter of fact, our Client has severally urged his teeming supporters to abide by the rule of law and to abstain from any actions which could result in a breakdown of law and order.
“He refrains from associating himself with protests and has constantly persuaded Nigerians to persevere. Our Client has expressed dissatisfaction with certain policies and has voiced the same through constructive criticism, without malice or resentment.
“It is our Client’s conviction that the publication was a calculated plot to demean, ridicule, humiliate, and embarrass him by the estimation of every right-thinking member of society.
“It appears you have achieved your insipid motive as well-wishers from all around the globe have inundated him with calls to register their shock. His appellation as ‘Okwute’ (the Rock) notwithstanding, the demeaning and scandalous publication has also caused serious emotional injury to our Client given his decades of stellar stewardship in private and public life.
“Consequently, we have our Client’s mandate to demand that you retract the statement made in the publication and tender an unreserved apology to him within 72 hours of the receipt of this letter in not less than four National Dailies to wit: Vanguard, This Day, Punch, and the Cable, including your verified ‘X’ handle – ‘@aonanuga1956’. Our Client also is making an unequivocal demand for monetary damage of N5,000,000,000 (Five Billion Naira) only for the embarrassment your defamatory publication has caused him and his family.
“Take Notice that in the event of your failure to meet the demands set out above, our Client shall be constrained to approach a Court of competent jurisdiction and take legal action against you for defamation and libel. Be advised accordingly,” the letter added.
