Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, has demanded an immediate retraction and unreserved public apology from Mr Jarrett Tenebe, the Acting Chairman of Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over a defamatory video recorded and disseminated widely by him.<\/p>\n
The demands are contained in a \u201cLetter Before Action\u201d issued by leading Nigerian law firm, Banwo & Ighodalo, to Tenebe and signed by Chinedum Umeche, FCIArb, on the express instruction of Ighodalo.<\/p>\n
The letter, dated December 11, 2024, accuses Tenebe of making and circulating a video on December 10, 2024, in which he falsely alleged that Ighodalo, a prominent lawyer and public figure, had \u201cstolen billions.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the legal team, the video also insinuates that Ighodalo is \u201cincapable of holding public office.\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter states that in the video, Mr. Tenebe said, \u201cAsue Ighodalo will not make such mistake, because he has stolen billions before.\u201d The lawyers contended that the video, widely circulated on platforms such as Arise TV, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, and Instagram, was meant to suggest that:
\n* \u201cOur Client is a thief and has appropriated to himself, public funds amounting to \u2018billions,\u2019 without permission or justification.\u201d<\/p>\n
* \u201cOur Client has been convicted of the offence of stealing \u2018billions\u2019 .\u201d<\/p>\n
* \u201cOur Client is a dishonorable man incapable of holding public office.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Law firm, firmly rejected the claims, calling them \u201cwholly untrue\u201d and a \u201ccalculated attempt to damage our Client\u2019s well-preserved reputation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highlighting the fallout from the allegations, the Law firm noted that: \u201cSince the publication of the Defamatory Video, our Client has received numerous calls from professional colleagues, business partners, and other well-meaning Nigerians, locally and in the diaspora, inquiring as to the propriety of the allegations. \u201cUndoubtedly, this development has exposed our Client to great distress, hurt, and humiliation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter emphasised that Ighodalo\u2019s track record speaks to his integrity. As a founding partner of Banwo & Ighodalo, a law firm often cited as a Tier 1 Corporate and Commercial Law firm, and as a flag bearer in the recent Edo State gubernatorial election, he has never been accused or convicted of any crime, in Nigeria or elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The legal team emphasised the importance of protecting the reputation of individuals, particularly those in public service, from reckless, premeditated, baseless and harmful allegations.<\/p>\n
The legal team demanded two immediate actions from Tenebe within seven days: \u201cProcure the recording and publishing of a retraction of the Defamatory Video; and issue a letter of apology to our Client.\u201d<\/p>\n
The legal team made it clear that failure to comply would result in litigation, stating:
\n\u201cYou are advised that ignoring this letter may lead to court proceedings being issued against you by our Client in the High Court of Lagos State, without further notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tenebe\u2019s reckless defamatory video emerged amidst discussions following the presentation of the Edo State 2025 Appropriation Bill. While Ighodalo has no direct connection to the presentation, the baseless allegations appear to have been an attempt to deflect public attention from the governor\u2019s unbelievable gaffes during the presentation.<\/p>\n
This episode comes against the backdrop of the ongoing judicial proceedings in which Mr. Ighodalo is contesting the outcome of the recent Edo gubernatorial election.<\/p>\n
Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, has demanded an immediate retraction and unreserved public apology from Mr Jarrett…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":115666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n