Vice Presidential candidate of Nigeria's opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), today threatened to commence a defamation action against spokesman for the President Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-kayode, over what he declares as defamation of his person.
It would be recalled that Fani-kayode had in a statement made an allegation that Osinbajo had taking a secret oath with national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, to relinquish power as the vice president to Tinubu after six months in office, in the event that the APC won the presidential election.
Specifically, Fani-kayode had, in the statement entittled, "APC is selling a dummy to the whole world; Tinubu is the real candidate," described Osinbajo as a stooge in the hands of Tinubu.
However, in a letter to Fani-kayode, Osinbajo asked Fani-Kayode to within seven days retract the said defamatory statement or be prepared for litigation.
According to the letter written on his behalf by his lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), Professor Osinbajo equally asked Fani-Kayode to tender a public apology to him which should be aired on four television stations and published in four national dailies in addition to a payment of N2bn for the damages already done against his person.
The vice-presidential candidate also argued that the statement was not only false, but was specifically targeted at impugning his character and lower him in the estimation of right thinking members of the public.
While describing Fani-Kayode's statement as vicious, wicked and reckless, the SAN added that the claims were inconsistent with his faith, role and ethics as a pastor, a professor of Law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Falana maintained that Fani-kayode’s statement suggested that Osinbajo was complicit in a fraud against the Nigerian people, adding that such statement negated Osinbajo’s publicly acclaimed and validated record of competence, honesty and integrity.
Photo Credit: Punch
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