Peter Obi demands public apology, N5 billion damages from Tinubu’s assistant, threatens lawsuit

A 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 claiming he was behind planned protests in Nigeria.

In a statement released via his verified account X, Onanuga on Saturday accused Obi supporters of sponsoring the planned nationwide protests against Tinubu’s administration, adding that the former Anambra governor would be held accountable for any liability arising from the public demonstrations in August.

But in a swift reaction, the Labour Party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said there was no truth to Onanuga’s allegations, describing them as a figment of his imagination.

Obi, in a letter addressed to Onanuga through his lawyer, Chief Alex Ejesieme, SAN described the presidential aide’s comments as defamatory of Obi’s reputation and character.

The lawyer then sought the sum of 5 billion naira as damages and ordered Onanuga to retract his statement through various national dailies in the country.

The letter also required the presidential aide to issue an unreserved apology within 72 hours of receiving the letter.

The letter reads: “The central theme of your reference statement, from an impartial and objective review thereof, is that our client is an anarchist who, while working in concert with terrorist groups, has supported the mobilization of several nationwide protests in a bitter and anti-democratic attempt to usurp the federal government, possibly as compensation for the failure of the 2023 presidential election.

“Our client totally denies the falsity contained in the said publication and insists that there is no shred of truth in the allegations leveled against him in the statement published by you, which has since gone viral on the Internet and its various social media platforms.

“The above statements are malicious in every sense and carry with them the potential for our Client to be ostracized by well-meaning Nigerian citizens.

“It must be stated without any form of equivocation that our Client is an elder statesman, a diplomat and a staunch democrat. He has always conformed his affairs to the dictates of Nigerian law. Where there has been dissatisfaction with any process or procedure, our Client’s first and only recourse has been to invoke the appropriate legal mechanisms to enforce his grievances.

“Indeed, our Client has repeatedly urged his numerous supporters to respect the rule of law and to refrain from any action that could cause a violation of law and order.

“He refrains from associating himself with protests and has consistently persuaded Nigerians to persevere. Our Client has expressed dissatisfaction with certain policies and has expressed it through constructive criticism, without malice or resentment.

“Our Client is convinced that the publication was a calculated plan to humiliate, belittle, ridicule and embarrass him in the eyes of every sane member of society.

“You seem to have achieved your insipid motive, as well-wishers from all over the world have flooded him with calls to express their shock. Despite his nickname “Okwute” (the Rock), the degrading and scandalous publication has also caused great emotional harm to our Client, given his decades of stellar management in private and public life.

“Accordingly, we have a mandate from our Client to demand that you retract the statement made in the publication and offer him an unconditional apology within 72 hours of receipt of this letter in no less than 4 national dailies namely: Vanguard, This Day, Punch and Cable including your verified “X” handle – “@aonanuga1956”. Our Client is also making an unequivocal claim for monetary damages amounting to N5,000,000,000 (Five Billion Naira) solely for the embarrassment your defamatory publication has caused him and his family.”

“You acknowledge that in the event of failure to comply with the above requests, our Client will be forced to approach a court of competent jurisdiction and take legal action against you for defamation and libel. You are advised accordingly,” the letter added.