A leading legal practitioner in Akwa Ibom State, Barrister Uwemedimo Nwoko, has described as mischievous and half hearted the apology tendered by the management of Tell Magazine in its last edition to the Governor, the government and people of Akwa Ibom state on the malicious, defamatory and derogatory publication its carried against Governor Akpabio at the wake of the 2011 governorship elections wherein the governor was painted as a murderer and cultist on its cover.
Speaking with newsmen in Uyo at the weekend, Nwoko said the magazine failed to retract the story and questioned the structure of the apology which he said did not in any way show it was a renunciation of a weighty and unsubstantiated allegations made against the person of the governor.
The lawyer pointed out that the content of the said apology not did not show any remorse but rode on semantic variables to the effect that the magazine is still holding to her position on the story.
According to Nwoko, ” the choice of words and language used is not only deceitful, but exposes the insincerity of Tell and its management in coming out to publish the truth. The word, ‘imputation’ in its apology is a confirmation of not being remorseful, therefore, the legal team and the governor should reject the ambiguous apology and pursue the matter to a legal and logical conclusion”
He argued further that, “if in the cause of carrying out a more detailed investigation on her allegations and found same to be false, the right thing it would have done was to publish a clear and unequivocal retraction of the story on its cover as was done with the unfounded,unsubstantiated and weighty allegations against Governor Akpabio which painted him as a murderer without any clear or strain of evidence as a proof”.
He cautioned that” except the magazine does the right thing; the implication should be judicial determination of the substantive suit adding that “ It is beyond politics and partisanship and people of Akwa Ibom State will not sit and watch the reputation of our people and leaders being carelessly dragged in the mud.”