Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, demanding N5 billion in damages and a public apology for defamation and libel.
Through his counsel, Chief Alex Ejesieme, SAN of the MADIBA Chambers, Obi insisted that Mr. Onanuga retract his allegations linking him to the planned mass protest scheduled for August.
On July 20, 2024, Onanuga had claimed via his X handle @aonanuga1956 that “Peter Obi’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria and that Obi should be held responsible for anarchy.”
This accusation, widely circulated on social and mainstream media, allegedly tarnished Obi’s reputation as a peaceful individual who abhors violence.
Ejesieme, in a formal letter, stated, “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.”
The letter further emphasized that the defamatory publication had caused emotional distress to Obi, despite his strong reputation and extensive public service record.
“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,” Ejesieme wrote.
The counsel demanded that Onanuga retract his statement and issue an unreserved apology within 72 hours, to be published in four national dailies—Vanguard, THISDAY, Punch, and The Cable—as well as on his verified X account @aonanuga1956.
The letter concluded with a stern warning: “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.”