Atiku Demands Apology From Buhari’s Aide And N500m Compesation
…..Says allegation baseless.
……Says story is most misleading, baseless, false, malicious and totally bereft of any foundation howsoever.
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23, 2019 general election, Atiku Abubakar has demanded that the Special Assistant to the President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, apologise, retract and pay him the sum N500 million as damages for the defamatory statement/publication against him.
Atiku through his counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) in a letter dated May 14, 2019, Atiku, said the vile and denigrating publication with the caption, “Atiku on UAE watchlist – Security Sources”, was made available to the whole world on the twitter handle page of the S. A media to the President.
According to him, the defamatory publication against him allegedly made on 7th May 2019 and that, “In the said publication, you, amongst other baseless allegations, falsely and maliciously accused our client of being on the watch list of Security Operatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“You further falsely accused our client of shopping for terrorists in the Middle East, thereby portraying him as an evil man, mentor of terrorists, someone who has links with terrorists, and a person who is interested in destabilizing the peace and unity of Nigeria.
“Your publication also portrayed our client as a security threat and terrorist to right thinking members of the public and the society at large. These baseless allegations which originated from you vide your tweet on the 7th day of May 2019, was published by several newspapers nationwide and on several social media news blogs”, the letter stated.
Ozekhome said his client (Atiku) categorically denies each and every allegation contained in the said publication which is a figment Of the imagination of the Onochie.”
“Our client states most emphatically that the entire opprobrious and denigrating story above referred to is most misleading, baseless, false, malicious and totally bereft of any foundation howsoever.
“We hereby state most emphatically that the inference and grave conclusions made by you in the obviously politically orchestrated story were invented by you and others of your ilk solely to cause maximum damage to the high reputation of our client, who is currently before the Election Petition Tribunal against your employer and boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, challenging the latter’s purported victory in the last presidential election.”
According to the letter, Atiku is demanding that Onochie publish and tender a written retraction for the said libelous publication in six national dailies circulating in Nigeria and one international daily, as well as on all the social media platforms, wherein the said publication was made.
