•Demands N500m damages, apology, retraction, within 48hrs
•It’s an attempt to bully me, Lukman declares
Adedayo Akinwale
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore has threatened to sue the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-west, Dr. Salihu Lukman for accusing him of mismanaging Osun State governorship election campaign funds.
Lukman, made the allegation during an interview on the African Independent Television (AIT) on Tuesday, where he made the allegation.
“Part of the issue with that is that I’m aware the party has given some campaign funds to Osun which was handled by the National Secretary and to some extent, he has either mismanaged it but more importantly, he’s not accounting to anybody and you have to activate the process of accountability,” he had said.
But Omisore in a letter through his attorney dated March 15th, and addressed to Lukman titled, ‘Request for a retraction, an apology, and payment of damages for the libelous statement made of and concerning the person of Senator Iyiola Omisore in your press release and publication’.
The letter read: “We are Solicitors to Senator lyiola Omisore, a two-term Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a former Deputy Governor of Osun State and the current National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress on whose instruction we write in relation to the above subject.
“Our instruction is that during an interview on Africa Independent Television (AlT) on the 14th of March, 2023 which was published in several online news blog, social media platforms, television stations and news media outlets including on the 15 th of March, 2023 by Amiladenews.com, an online news blogs, you made a libelous and defamatory statement of and concerning our client.”
Omisore insisted that Lukman’s allegation has caused damage to his character and integrity.
The party’s scribe maintained that the allegation was not only false, misleading but without any factual basis in all respects.
Omisore added that it was a deliberate attempt sponsored and designed to malign his image and his political stature as a leader of note in Osun State, the South-West geopolitical zone and Nigeria as a whole.
He reiterated that the allegation made against him was false in all ramifications, insisting that he was neither given any money to prosecute the Osun State governorship election nor did he mismanage the non-existing campaign funds.
Omisore noted that It was clear beyond doubt that Lukman’s statement and publication was a political ploy with the intent of to impugn his reputation, integrity and unjustifiably and unwarrantedly assassinate his character in the eyes of right-thinking members of the public.
The letter added: “Our client has consequently directed us to request for a retraction of your libelous statement and publication and an apology to be published in two major newspapers and several online news outlets not later than 48 hours of the delivery of this letter and also the payment of the sum of N500 million as damages for malicious statement against our client.
“Take notice that if you fail to heed the request of our Client within 48 hours of the receipt of this letter, we shall be constrained to proceed to the court of law against you for exemplary damages for injurious falsehood and malicious statement made of and concerning our client.”
In his response, Lukman said it was an attempt to bully, adding that he would respond properly.
He said: “My immediate reaction is that this is an attempt to bully me but I will respond to him properly.”
