Defamation: Peter Obi gives Onanuga 72 hours to apologise, demands N5bn as damages

The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has given the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Communication and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, 72 hours to apologise to him and pay N5bn damages for defamation.

In a letter written to Onanuga through his counsel, Alex Ejesieme, Obi demanded that Onanuga retract an allegation he made on his X handle linking him to the planned mass protest scheduled for August.

Onanuga had on July 20, 2024, via his X handle @aonanuga1956, said that Peter Ob’s supporters were planning mayhem in Nigeria and that Obi should be held responsible for anarchy.

Reacting to the allegation, Obi, through his counsel, Alex Ejesieme, said the allegation which went viral on social and mainstream media and read by many within and outside the country, maligned his hard-earned reputation.

He added that the allegation dented his image as a man who indulges in violence when all his antecedents are vivid and that he abhors violence even in the face of extreme provocation.

According to the legal counsel, the publication was a calculated plot to demean, ridicule, humiliate and embarrass Peter Obi by the estimation of every right-thinking member of the society. The legal counsel mentioned that the allegation may have achieved its insipid motive as well-wishers from all around the globe have inundated Obi to register their shock.

“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 out 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 the 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 a 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 4 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.”

Read the letter below…