Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has filed a N5 billion lawsuit against Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Communication and Strategy. This legal action comes in response to a defamatory publication made by Onanuga, which Obi’s legal team has described as a malicious campaign of calumny.
In a letter dated July 22,2024, addressed to Onanuga and signed by Chief Alex Ejesieme, SAN, Obi’s legal representatives, ALEX EJESIEME (SAN) & CO, outlined their client’s grievances. The letter references a publication titled “REVEALED: Peter Obi’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria: Obi should be held responsible for anarchy,” which was posted on Onanuga’s verified “X” (formerly Twitter) handle, “@aonanuga1956,” on 20th July 2024. This publication was also circulated on various social media platforms and reported by several news outlets, including Vanguard News, Punch, The Cable, This Day, Tribune, Leadership, and Channels TV.
The legal correspondence states, “Our Client was minded to ignore the false and malicious campaign of calumny, regarding it as the vituperations of one who prefers to express their opinion over understanding, or that of a scoffer who, converted by Lady Fool, tries to convert others to foolishness.” However, the letter continues, “In order not to have our Client’s silence misconstrued as acquiescence or admission, our Client saw a need to set the records straight.”
The central theme of Onanuga’s statement, according to Obi’s legal team, is that Obi is portrayed as an anarchist working with terrorist groups to mobilise nationwide protests. The letter asserts, “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.”
Obi’s legal representatives argue that the statements made by Onanuga are “malicious and convey with them the potentiality of an ostracisation of our Client by well-meaning citizens of Nigeria.” They emphasise Obi’s record as “an elder statesman, a diplomat and an unwavering democrat” who has always adhered to the law and urged his supporters to do the same.
The letter highlights that the defamatory publication has caused significant emotional injury to Obi, given his decades of public service. It states, “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, Obi’s legal team is demanding that Onanuga retract the statement and issue an unreserved apology within 72 hours, to be published in four national dailies—Vanguard, This Day, Punch, and The Cable—and on Onanuga’s verified “X” handle. Additionally, they are seeking monetary damages of N5 billion for the embarrassment caused to Obi and his family.
The letter concludes with a warning: “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.”