In a shocking development, the former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has initiated a lawsuit amounting to 5 billion naira against Bayo Onanuga, media personality, and Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy. The lawsuit, filed in Lagos State, alleges defamation and seeks a retraction within the next 72 hours, and redress for damages to Mr. Obi’s reputation.
The legal action comes in response to statements made by Onanuga on an X post on the 20th of July 2024, that Peter Obi should be held responsible for the mayhem that Obi’s supporters were planning to cause with the rumored planned protest on the 1st of August.
Peter Obi, a well-known figure in Nigerian politics and finance, asserts that the remarks made by Onanuga were both false and malicious, causing significant harm to his personal and professional standing.
Speaking through his legal representative, Alex Ejesieme (SAN), Mr. Obi emphasized the importance of holding individuals accountable for spreading falsehoods that could potentially harm one’s reputation built over decades of public service and business endeavors. In the court document, Obi mentioned that he had repeatedly told his supporters to obey the rule of law always and abstain from any action that might cause a breakdown of law and order.
Bayo Onanuga, a veteran journalist and former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), responded by saying “I am still waiting for the letter from Peter Obi’s lawyer threatening an N5 billion suit and demanding an apology to Peter Obi over the planned ‘revolution’.
Let me just tell Obi and his lawyer: I am not afraid of any le