Protest: Obi Demands N5bn Compensation, Apology from Tinubu’s Aide  

The 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has demanded N5 billion and public apology from Bayo Onanuga for linking him to the planned nationwide anti hunger protest being organised by some Nigerians.

Obi gave the Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy to the President 72 hours to pay the N5 billion as compensation for the damages caused to his person, and publish an apology in four national dailies to that effect.

Alternatively, Obi said the presidential spokesman should be prepared to defend himself in court over the alleged defamatory and libellous comments.

He also demanded Onanuga to retract the allegation linking him to the planned mass protest scheduled for August.

Onanuga had on July 20, 2024, claimed in 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.”

Obi writing through his counsel, Chief Alex Ejesieme, SAN of the MADIBA Chambers, said that the allegation which was widely published in social and mainstream media and read by many within and outside the country, maligned his hard-earned reputation and portrayed him as as a man who indulged in violence, contrary to his antecedents as someone who abhors violence even in the face of extreme provocation.

“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 stated that the allegation may have achieved its insipid motive as well-wishers from all around the globe have inundated Obi to register their shock.

“His appellation as ‘Okwute’ (the Rock) notwithstanding, the demeaning and scandalous publication has also caused a serious emotional injury to our client given his decades of stellar stewardship in private and public life.

“Consequently, we have our clients mandate to demand that you retract the statement made in the publication and tender an unreserved apology to him within 72 hours of the receipt of this letter in not less than 4 National Dailies to wit: Vanguard, THISDAY, Punch and the Cable, including your verified X“@aonanuga1956.

“Our client is also making an unequivocal demand for the monetary damage of N5b for the embarrassment your defamatory publication has caused him and his family.”

The letter further read, “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.”

Meanwhile, Onanuga has dared Obi to go to court over the issue in a fresh post on his official X handle on Tuesday.

He said: “I am still waiting for the letter from Peter Obi’s lawyer threatening a N5 billion suit and demanding an apology to Peter Obi over the planned ‘revolution’.