Umar Damagun, the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has issued a legal threat against Deji Adeyanju, a lawyer and rights activist, over allegations of defamation.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the Acting National Secretary of the PDP, has also announced his intention to take legal action against Adeyanju, citing both civil and criminal grounds in response to the alleged defamatory remarks.
Damagun and Anyanwu, through their counsel, Johnson Usman, SAN, have demanded that Adeyanju retract his statements and issue an apology in national newspapers and across social media platforms to prevent an impending legal battle.
The pair made their intentions clear in two separate letters, copies of which were shared with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
Damagun’s letter was dated December 4 and received by Adeyanju on the same day, while Anyanwu’s letter, dated December 5, was also acknowledged by Adeyanju.
One of the letters was titled “Demand for the Immediate Retraction of the Defamatory Statements Made Against Amb. Umar Iliya Damagun, the Acting National Chairman of PDP on Social Media Platforms: With A Call for a Corresponding Apology.”
The letter, signed by Israel Ujah, a lawyer from Usman’s firm, alleged that Adeyanju had deliberately made inflammatory and derogatory comments about both Damagun and Anyanwu.
Ujah claimed that Adeyanju had characterised the PDP national chairman during a podcast interview as a “tea man who serves tea at Femi Gbajabiamila’s house.”
The lawyer also alleged that Adeyanju referred to Anyanwu as a “Kilishi Man” who serves “Kilishi” at the residence of Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President.
Ujah quoted Adeyanju as saying, “This current PDP is in the pocket of Nyesom Wike at the national level.”
He further stated, “Through your unsubstantiated and defamatory publication, you have sought to dissuade the public from supporting our client, portraying him as a ‘tea server’ of trivial worth, unworthy of political validation or patronage.
“We remind you that while freedom of speech exists, it does not shield you from unwarranted verbal attacks against our client.
“Your claim that the PDP National Chairman is ‘serving tea’ at Femi Gbajabiamila’s residence serves as a figurative critique of the perceived inadequacies of the PDP as a formidable opposition to the current government.
“Your statements appear deliberately crafted to undermine our client’s standing among his supporters and to tarnish his political aspirations.
“These defamatory remarks have subjected our client to significant political embarrassment, psychological distress, and unmeasurable humiliation.
“We are aware that your disparaging comments may have been instigated by our client’s political adversaries, motivated by your own selfish interests.
“In light of this, we hereby demand an immediate retraction of your defamatory statements made during the podcast interview, to be issued within three days of receiving this letter.
“We further insist that your retraction be accompanied by a formal apology published in national dailies and on social media.
“Should you fail to act honourably in this matter, we will have no choice but to pursue all available legal avenues to protect our client’s constitutional rights, which may include civil and criminal proceedings.
“Take this as final notice; our course of action will proceed without further warning and with all the accompanying publicity. A word to the wise is sufficient!” Ujah concluded in one of the letters.
