The post-election crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken another dimension, as the party’s national secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, wrote a formal letter to his colleague on National Working Committee (NWC), Salihu Moh Lukman, demanding retraction and payment of damages over accusation that he mismanaged campaign fund in Osun state.
Lukman, who is APC’s National Vice Chairman, North-west zone, had earlier demanded the removal of Senator Omisore and the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to balance the religious sentiment in the ruling party.
Also speaking Tuesday during an interview on AIT, Lukman reiterated his call for Omisore to vacate his seat.
Lukman said: “We must emphasize that acting as a party requires that we activate the organs of the party to function. And I think this is the struggle we have been waging and once the organs of the party are not working, then even the capacity to hold leaders to account will be weak.
“And that is where we are and that is partly what is producing some of the unhealthy development in (the party). For instance, Osun State, which is part of the reason why I said the National Secretary, has failed, in terms of stabilizing Osun and uniting people.
“Part of the issue with that is that 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.
“And for me, I think as part of the process of accountability in order to stabilize Osun, I think the National Secretary should also vacate his seat.”
But responding to the allegation through his lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, of the Lord & Temple, Senator Omisore demanded for five hundred Naira as damages for the allegation he claimed Lukman made against him.
A copy of the letter dated Wednesday 15th March 2023, obtained by our correspondent, is titled: “Request for a retraction, an apology, and payment of damages for the libellous statement made of and concerning the person of Senator Iyiola Omisore in your press release and publication titled ‘APC Vice Chairman accuses Omisore of mismanagement Osun Governorship election campaign funds.”
The letter reads partly: “We are Solicitors to Senator lyiola Omisore, a two-term Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a former Deputy Governor of Osun State and the current National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress on whose instruction we write in relation to the above subject.
“Our instruction is that during an interview on Africa Independent Television (AlT) on the 14th of March, 2023 which was published in several online news blog, social media platforms, television stations and news media outlets including on the 15th of March, 2023 by Amiladenews.com, an online news blogs, you made a libelous and defamatory statement of and concerning our client.
“Our client has informed us that your statement is not only false, misleading and without any factual basis but malicious in all material respect. It is by the reckoning of our client, a deliberate attempt sponsored and/or designed to malign his image and his political stature as a leader of note in Osun State, the South-West geopolitical zone and Nigeria as a whole.
“It is important to reiterate that the spurious allegation “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” made in your statement of 14th of March 2023 against our client is false in all ramification as our client was neither given any money to prosecute the Osun State Governorship election nor did he mismanage the non-existing campaign funds.
“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 (2) major newspapers and several online news outlets not later than forty-eight (48) hours of the delivery of this letter and also the payment of the sum (Five Hundred Million Naira only) as damages for malicious statement against our client.
“Take notice that if you fail to heed the request of our Client within forty-eight (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.”
When contacted on phone for his reaction to Omisore’s letter, the APC’s North-west chairman said he can’t be bullied by anybody.
Lukman said: “My immediate reaction is that this is an attempt to bully me but I will respond to him properly.”
