PDP chieftain drags online paper to court over libel

An online paper based in Abia is in trouble as the immediate past Abia State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya has threatened it with a N10 billion suit for alleged libel.

The online newspaper had on June 30, 2017, in a report titled “alleged highhandedness, financial misappropriation” claimed that Chief Ogbonnaya was involved in over N100 million financial frauds while serving as the state Commissioner for Chieftancy and Local Government Affairs in the state.

Irked by the publication, Chief Ogbonna says, he mandated his lawyers, Okey Amechi, SAN, and partners, to demand a retraction and apology from the online newspaper or be slammed with a N10 billion suit, and has therefore given the newspaper one week to publish a retraction of the alleged libelous publication and render an apology to him else he would proceed with a N10 billion suit against them.

In a letter to the Editor In-Chief of the online newspaper, Emeka Iroegbu, dated July 5th 2017 and signed by Okey Amechi, he accused the newspaper of publishing “reckless and libelous allegations” which he said were “false and fabricated” against Chief Ogbonnaya.

“It is obvious from the tone and recklessness of the article that you serve some dark and hidden political clientele, who hired you to assassinate the character of our client in order to keep him out of their way politically”, the letter said and demanded a “retraction and unreserved apology”.

“We equally demand that you pay to our client the sum of N10 billion within the above given time as damages for libeling him in your said article and maliciously damaging his character and bringing him down in the opinion of the public who hitherto held him in very high esteem.

“We shall be compelled to take all necessary legal steps, both criminal and civil, to seek redress for our client”, the letter warned.

As at the time of filing of this report, the Editor could not be reached for his comments.