Two topnotch members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are reportedly at each other’s throats in a bitter fight that may threaten the cohesion of the party.
It was gathered that the party’s National Secretary, Sen. Iyiola Omisore, had demanded that the vice-chairman of the party in the North-west, Salihu Lukman, should pay him the whopping sum of N500 million over an alleged libel.
Lukman had reportedly called for the resignation of Omisore in an interview on AIT, alleging that the former Osun State deputy governor mismanaged campaign funds earmarked to prosecute the Osun State election which the APC lost to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
READ ALSO: https://www.thexpressng.com/abioduns-govt-has-failed-ogun-indigenes-says-ex-commissioner/
“I’m aware the party has given some campaign funds to Osun which was handled by the national secretary and to some extent, he has either mismanaged it but more importantly, he’s not accounting to anybody and you have to activate the process of accountability,” Lukman had said.
However, Omisore in a letter dated March 15 and addressed to Lukman, through his counsel, Gboyega Oyewole (SAN) described Lukman’s allegation as false, adding that it was meant to impugn Omisore’s reputation.
Therefore, the one-time Senator had threatened to drag Lukman to court if he does not apologise and pay him N500 million naira in damages.
“It is clear beyond doubt that your statement and publication was a political ploy with the intent of impugning the reputation and integrity of our client and unjustifiably and unwarrantedly assassinating his character in the eyes of right-thinking members of the public,” Omisore’s counsel wrote.
READ ALSO: https://www.thexpressng.com/peter-obi-didnt-endorse-otu-pdp-guber-candidate-in-criver-group/
“Our client has consequently directed us to request for a retraction of your libelous statement and publication and an apology to be published in two major newspapers and several online news outlets not later than 48 hours of the delivery of this letter and also the payment of the sum of N500,000,000 as damages for malicious statement against our client.
“TAKE NOTICE that if you fail to heed the request of our client within 48 hours of the receipt of this letter, we shall be constrained to proceed to the court of law against you for exemplary damages for injurious falsehood and malicious statement made of and concerning our client.”