Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
A former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has demanded immediate apology and N20 billion compensation from Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State for alleged malicious statement made against him.
In addition, Saraki demanded that, AbdulRazaq should also publish a written apology to him on the front page of three widely read national dailies.
AbdulRazaq, at the inauguration of the campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Kwara Central senatorial candidate, Mallam Saliu Mustapha on December 26, 2022, had reportedly slandered Saraki.
His words: “I went to Abuja to ask UBEC why Kwara was blacklisted for seven years and was told the funds have been embezzled. But when I enquired why UBEC did not prosecute them, they said their leader (Saraki) was the Senate President and they would have a problem defending and getting their budget approval if they had taken such action.”
Following the report of the comment in many national newspapers, Saraki gave AbdulRazaq seven days ultimatum to retract the statement, else he would file legal action against him.
But at the expiration of the seven day notice to the Kwara governor, there was no such retraction, prompting the former Senate President, to take the legal path and asked his lawyer to write AbdulRazaq.
In a letter written by counsel to Saraki, Afe Babalola & Co, addressed to Governor Abdulrazaq, and dated December 30, Saraki’s counsel demanded a retraction of the statement within seven days of receiving the letter.
Saraki also demanded “a written apology that should be published on front pages of three widely read national daily newspapers and payment of the sum of N20 billion, “as compensation for the damage occasioned to him by your statement.
He added: “Be advised that your failure to accede to our client’s request will constrain us to proceed with our client’s outstanding instruction to seek redress against you at the appropriate time and Court.”
The former two-term governor of Kwara State, who denied the publication in one of the national dailies on December 26, titled: “Abdulrazaq Knocks Ex-Govs Saraki, Ahmed over UBEC Funds”, said “there is no iota of truth to same.”
The letter read: “Your Excellency, your words quoted above imply that, while our client was the Senate President, he embezzled funds belonging to Kwara State and earmarked for the advancement of the primary education of its indigenes and residents.
“While our client was the Senate President, he was engaged in corruption at the expense of the education of his people. While our client was the Senate President, he deployed his office to frustrate the approval of the budget of any Ministry/Government Department/Agency (MDA) for personal and/or pecuniary reasons and/or in order to blackmail. Our client was and is a leader of a corrupt people.
“Our client shielded or was capable of shielding any of his political associates and allies from the due process of the law if there was a case of corruption against them. Our client emphatically denies your statement quoted above and reiterates that there is no iota of truth to same.
“Our client believes that you ought to know that as the Senate President, he was not the executive governor of Kwara State, so he could not have been involved in any form of embezzlement of the funds of Kwara State.
“Furthermore, there is no evidence that, as Senate President, our client relied on his office or position to shield anyone from investigation and prosecution. It has not been mentioned that, our client was in the habit of blackmailing MDAs with the non-passage of their budget while he was Senate President. Nonetheless, you chose to make this statement against our client.
“Our client states that your statement is malicious, unwarranted and intended to incite reasonable members of the public, particularly the electorate in Kwara State and Nigeria as a whole, against him. Indeed, following your statement, our client has received several telephone calls, text messages and visits alluding to your statement and expressing disappointment with him because of same.
“Our client’s reputation and estimation before several members of his local community, allies, friends, family members, political supporters, business associates and contacts, both in Nigeria and abroad, have suffered substantially on account of your statement. Our client suffered and continues to suffer considerable psychological trauma due to your statement.”
