3rd March, 2015
Henry Ojelu
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the running mate of All Progressives Congress, APC’s presidential candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, has commenced a legal action against Femi Fani-Kayode over claims that he swore an oath with former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He is seeking N2 billion damages and other reliefs for the alleged defamatory statement made against him by Fani-Kayode.
Fani-Kayode, the spokesman for the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, during a press conference held recently in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, had alleged that Prof. Osinbajo had a secret oath with Bola Tinubu to be his surrogate as Vice President for a period of six months after which he, Osinbajo would resign.
Fani-Kayode had also alleged that the secret oath was to give way for Tinubu to eventually become VP to Gen Buhari in the event that the APC wins the presidential election.
In a pre-litigation letter, Prof Osinbajo through his lawyer, Femi Falana, demanded a retraction of the defamatory statement which was published in national print and electronic media.
In the letter, Falana contended that the statement credited to Fani-Kayode portrayed Osinbanjo as someone who is complicit in a fraud against the Nigerian people.
Falana said that the statement was a vicious, wicked and reckless ploy to impugn the reputation of Osinbajo and lower him in the estimation of right thinking members of the public.
The letter stated: “The direct meaning, purport and innuendo or insinuation of the false, misleading and defamatory statement is that our client, Prof. Osinbajo is deceitful and participating in a devise that constitutes subterfuge and lacks integrity in concert with others who you also describe as evil, insensitive, wicked, selfish and desperate.”
Falana also alleged that Fani-Kayode’s statement portrayed Osinbajo who is a pastor, professor of law, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, as having engaged in a conduct that is incompatible with his faith, role and ethic as a senior and respected lawyer.
Falana subsequently demanded from Fani-Kayode an immediate retraction of the offensive and derogatory publication and an apology which must be aired on four television stations and published in four national newspapers with N2 billion as payment for damages already caused by the publication.
Falana said his client would proceed to the court to seek appropriate legal redress if Fani-Kayode failed to comply with his demands.