By Wahab Abdulah
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Dr Asue Ighodalo, has demanded the payment of N20 billion in damages from Adams Oshiomhole, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a sitting senator for malicious defamatory utterances made against him on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at a political campaign rally in Benin City.
Oshiomhole had recklessly accused Ighodalo of being the brain behind a ponzi scheme, ‘PLANWELL’, in which numerous Nigerians were defrauded of their hard earned funds in the past.
In a letter dated 16th September, 2024, and signed by Chief Ayo Asala, SAN, of Ayo Asala and Associates, titled “Re: Defamatory Statements Made In Respect Of Dr Asue Ighodalo”, the learned silk stated that:
“It is sad to note that despite your status as an elder and holder of a public office, you appear to have developed a pattern of spewing false statements in the public domain purely for the achievement of your political ends.
“This baseless, unfounded, false and malicious allegation has become another in a long line of such defamatory fabrications and statements made by you in respect of our client in the recent past.
“Our client is an accomplished Nigerian legal practitioner and a corporate leader whose impressive resume from birth up till the current day is entirely in the public domain and our client has absolutely no connection with and could never have been involved in any manner whatsoever with the purported ‘PLANWELL’ scheme with which you have seriously defamed our client’s reputation.
“It is clear that the fabrication of the unfounded and false story regarding the purported involvement of our client in the said ‘PLANWELL’ scheme or any other financial scheme whatsoever, is a figment of your imagination and a story fabricated purely for the purpose of denigrating the good character and reputation of our client for the achievement of the political purpose of advancing the sinking fortunes of your political party and candidate in the forthcoming Edo State Gubernatorial Elections”.
He went on to say that Ighodalo has been inundated with calls from concerned members of the public, associates, acquaintances and so many people as a result of Oshiomhole’s malicious accusations.
In consequence, the learned senior lawyer demanded “an immediate and unqualified retraction and apology for your false, defamatory and malicious statements which should be published in at least two national television networks and three nationally circulating newspapers.
” Pay to our client damages in the sum of N20 billion Naira for your false, defamatory and malicious statements referred to herein,” the letter read.
The letter further asserted that failure to comply with the above demands will lead to legal actions without further notice.
Ighodalo has consistently maintained that he knows nothing about the said ‘PLANWELL’, which his political opponents have been trying so viciously to tie around his neck.
A few weeks ago, the same Oshiomhole made some malicious and defamatory utterances against Ighodalo for which he has been slammed with a N20 billion libel suit.
This is yet another in the case of Oshiomhole’s implacable determination to tarnish Ighodalo’s hard-earned reputation.
