Mass Protest: Obi Threatens N5bn Defamation, Libel Lawsuit Against Tinubu’s Aide Onanuga

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi has demanded a retraction of an allegation made against him by the Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy to the President, Mr. Bayo Onanuga or face a N5 billion naira court case on defamation and libel.

Recall that the presidential aide had on July 20, 2024, claimed in his X handle (formerly Twitter) @aonanuga1956 accusing, “ Peter Ob’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria and that Obi should be held responsible for anarchy.”

The former LP presidential candidate said it was unthinkable that he would be linked as someone behind the planned mass protest scheduled for August by Onanuga.

Writing through his counsel, Chief Alex Ejesieme, SAN of the MADIBA Chambers, Obi said the allegation which was widely published on social and mainstream media and read by many within and outside the country, maligned his hard-earned reputation as a man who indulges in violence when all his antecedents are vivid that he abhors violence even in the face of extreme provocation.

“It’s 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,” Ejesieme said.

The letter continued, that the allegation may have achieved its insipid motive as well-wishers from all around the globe have inundated Obi 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, THISDAY, Punch and the Cable, including your verified X“@aonanuga1956.

“Our client is also making an unequivocal demand for the monetary damage of N5b for the embarrassment your defamatory publication has caused him and his family,” Ejesieme wrote.

The letter however added 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.”