By Adadareporters
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has officially demanded the retraction and compensation from Bayo Onanuga, a media aide to President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that Onanuga, in a tweet on Sunday, accused Obi of orchestrating the planned August 1 – 10 nationwide protests against Tinubu’s administration. Onanuga alleged that Obi’s actions were driven by dissatisfaction over his electoral defeat and aimed at destabilizing the current leadership.
Onanuga’s July 20 tweet labelled Obi and his supporters as anarchists, suggesting they were using protests as a cover to challenge Tinubu’s presidency.
Obi has therefore requested a retraction of the defamatory statements, a public apology in four major newspapers, and N5 billion in damages for the harm caused by Onanuga’s remarks.
Obi’s legal representative, Alex Ejesieme, sent a letter to Onanuga, calling for a retraction of the accusations made against Obi. Ejesieme rejected the claims, describing them as baseless and harmful to Obi’s reputation.
The controversy arose amid widespread dissatisfaction with Tinubu’s economic policies, which have led to increased inflation and public unrest. Obi, who has been a vocal critic of these policies, was accused by Onanuga of inciting unrest through the planned protests scheduled for August.
The letter demands that Onanuga retract the statements within 72 hours and publish the retraction in four national newspapers.
Obi’s legal team said Onanuga’s comments were unfounded and damaging, and that they were prepared to take the matter to court if necessary.
