Alleged defamation: Emefiele threatens Akpabio with N25bn lawsuit

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

Senator Akpabio, while speaking at Senator Barinada Mpigi’s thanksgiving service in Koroma, Tai Local Government Area, Rivers State, claimed that Emefiele contributed largely to the country’s economic challenges.

Piqued by the remarks, Emefiele, through his Counsel, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), in a letter dated February 19, 2024, and addressed to Akpabio with the title:

‘Defamatory Statement Against Dr Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele (Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria) and Demand for Retraction and Apology,’ said the remark soiled his image.

He argued that no single policy was carried out by his client without the approval, directive of the President and/or the Federal Executive Council of which he (Akpabio) was a key and powerful member.

Accordingly, he demanded a retraction, an apology and a sum of N25 billion as compensation “for the willful and unjustifiable denigration of his hard earned reputation.”

H said: “We are Solicitors to Dr. Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (hereinafter referred to as “Our Client”), on whose brief and instruction, we write this letter to you as follows:

“Our Client’s attention has been drawn to a widely circulated statement made by you against him on Channels Television on or about the 18th February, 2024 which he considers false, distorted and clearly aimed at disparaging his character and indeed made in bad faith.

“The said statement is contained in a video and was made by you to a large gathering of persons and circulated globally via uncountable online media.

“The statement which has now gone viral had this heading attached to its preface ”we don’t know what crime to charge emefiele with” in the video, you stated clearly and unequivocally, among other things, as follows:

‘So the kind of debt and the kind of economic mess that we are in, a lot of people do not understand, I remember President Obama saying you cannot know Washington until you get to Washington. So by the time we went in to look at the economic state of the country it was terrible, so the Former Governor of Central of Bank of Nigeria we didn’t even know what to charge him, whether to charge him for putting foam on the … or to charge him for illegal possession of Fire Arms or to Charge him for printing notes without income, I don’t know what we are going to charge him with. But, what I know is that, yes there is hunger today because of the policies that they took.’

The above statement, whether taken in their ordinary, figurative or literal meaning portrayed Our Client as:

“The cause of the entire hardship in Nigeria today is as a result of the policies of the previous administration.

“A serial offender whose action is responsible for all the hardship experienced by Nigerians today.

“A person who has committed offences that are so numerous that the government is confused as to which of the offences to prefer a charge against him.

“Your Excellency, as the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you certainly know, or have reasons to know that the Federal Government of Nigeria had since the 14th August, 2023 preferred Charges against Our Client to which he had long pleaded not guilty and is presently defending same to exonerate himself and show that he is not guilty of the said allegations.

“It is therefore disturbing, that such a statement would be made by the Head of the Legislature of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on a matter that is clearly subjudice.

“Your statement, with the greatest respect, clearly undermines the honour and integrity of the Court and its independence and indeed has the propensity of prejudicing the case against Our Client.

“Having submitted to the jurisdiction of the Court, it is only fair and proper that the Court should be allowed to determine the issues submitted to it without unnecessary pressure from any other arm of Government.

“We therefore have Our Client’s further instruction to demand from you an unreserved apology in writing, published and circulated by the same medium with which you have defamed his character and the sum of Twenty-Five Billion Naira (N25,000,000,000) as reasonable compensation for the willful and unjustifiable denigration of his hard earned reputation.”

Burkaa continued: “In the event that you fail, refuse or neglect to comply with this legitimate demand, Our Client will be at liberty to seek the appropriate redress available to him under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

A copy of the letter, sighted by our correspondent, was received and acknowledged by the Office of Senate President on the 20th of February, 2024.