A University lecturer and Professor of Political Science at the Lagos State University, Ojo, Abubakar Momoh, has given a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, a two-week ultimatum to retract an alleged libelous publication in some newspapers (excluding The PUNCH).
He also demanded the sum of N20m as damages.
Counsel for the university lecturer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, in a letter to Adeyeye, dated August 8, and obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday, said the publication, which alleged that the newly registered All Progressives Congress had infiltrated the Independent National Electoral Commission, was done in bad faith.
Adeyeye was quoted to have said, "Momoh was one of the partisan elements disguised as Election Observers during the Ekiti State governorship rerun in 2009, who were caught in Oye and Ifaki-Ekiti, with electoral materials."
But Aturu said Adeyeye had earlier been reported as having alerted Nigerians to an alleged infiltration of INEC by elements, loyal to APC, in his reaction to the nomination of Momoh as the Director-General of the Electoral Institute of INEC.
He said, "We have our client's firm instructions to demand, and we hereby so do, that you cause to be written and circulated in conspicuous segments of three newspapers circulating all over Nigeria, a retraction of the malicious allegations and an unqualified apology within 14 days of your receiving this letter.
"In addition we demand that you pay to our client N20m as compensation for the libel contained in newspapers. Our client will not fold his arms and allow the tarnishing of his hard-earned reputation and image that he has spent his entire working career and life to build.
"Take notice that, if after the expiration of the stated deadline, the compensation has not been paid and the apology has not been published in the manner earlier indicated, howbeit not later than August 26, 2013, we have his firm instructions to institute legal action against you for the malicious defamation of his character."
