Crisis Rocks APC over Alleged Defamation

The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Iyiola Omisore has asked for the payment of N500 million from the vice-chairman of the party in the north-west, Salihu Lukman, over alleged defamation.

This followed Lukman asking Omisore to resign from his position while speaking on Tuesday during an interview with AIT.

According to The APC vice chairman, Omisore had mismanaged campaign funds meant for the Osun State election which the APC lost to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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Lukman had said:

“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.”

Responding in a letter dated March 15 and addressed to Lukman, counsel to the APC national secretary, Gboyega Oyewole (SAN) argued Lukman’s statement was false, and aimed at maligning Omisore’s character.

The APC Secretary hence through his legal counsel threatened to drag Lukman to court should he fail to apologise and the said amount.

Oyewole said:

“It is clear beyond doubt that your statement and publication was a political ploy with the intent of impugning the reputation and integrity of our client and unjustifiably and unwarrantedly assassinating his character in the eyes of right-thinking members of the public.

“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 N500,000,000 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.”

Meanwhile, findings revealed that both members of the national working committee (NWC) of the ruling party (Omisore and Lukman) had been at loggerheads.