Alhaji Lai Mohammed
Spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Lai Mohammed, yesterday filed a N500m defamation suit against his counterpart, Olisa Metuh, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The suit that was filed at the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, has yet to be assigned to a judge. Mohammed claimed to have been defamed by a press statement allegedly authoured and circulated on September 20 by Metuh.
According to Mohammed, Metuh had in the statement accused him of embezzling funds meant for fencing an airport in one of the APC-controlled states in the South-West.
Mohammed also alleged that Metuh said he (Mohammed) obtained money to supply ambulances to one APC controlled state in South-West but never did.
Metuh had, in the statement, allegedly wondered where Mohammed then got the courage to speak on corruption when indeed the APC spokesman had mastered the art of corruption having been “a personal aide to one of the most corrupt politicians to ever bestride the political space of the country.”
Mohammed, who said he was a one-time coordinator of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation, claimed that the statement credited to Metuh was carefully calculated to inflict damage on his reputation and to lessen him in the estimation of the public.
The portion of the said release attributed to Metuh read, “…our final word for the APC spokesman on this, is that being ethically challenged, includes embezzling funds meant for fencing an airport in an APC-led South-West state.
“It also includes when one fraudulently refuses to supply ambulances after collecting monies from another APC South-West state.
“It is a comedy of roles when Alhaji Lai Mohammed speaks on corruption, a topic he practices and has well learnt, being a personal aide to one of the most corrupt politicians to ever bestride the political landscape of the country.”
Mohammed alleged that Metuh had injured his character and reputation in a grave manner. He claimed that Metuh’s lawyer, Emeka Etiaba (SAN), had in a letter dated September 25 to the claimant’s lawyer, Wahab Shittu, admitted authoring the statement but denied referring to Mohammed.
Mohammed, however, quoted Etiaba to have also referred to an earlier statement where Mohammed also attacked Metuh by stating that “the allegations of corruption hanging on his (Metuh) neck from within his own party is a clear indication that he is mortally afraid that the wind will soon blow hard enough to expose the fowl’s rump…”
Mohammed, however, insisted that he made the said statement based on a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission written against Metuh on July 15 by the PDP, Nkwelle-Ezunaka Ward 1, in Oyi Local Government chapter of Anambra State. Mohammed is seeking an order mandating Metuh not to only retract his statement but to also tender apology to him in a widely read newspaper for seven consecutive days.
He is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining Metuh and his privies from further publishing or disseminating libelous materials against him.
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