Andy Uba threatens to sue Heritage Bank over staff’s protest at residence

Andy Uba, former senator from Anambra state, has threatened to use Heritage Bank over the protest of the bank’s staff at his residence.

On Monday, some workers of the bank besieged his residence to protest over a loan they said he owes the financial institution.

The protest by the bank staff went viral on social media.

In a letter on Wednesday signed by Ahmed Raji, his lawyer, Uba said the action of the bank staff has exposed him to ridicule, shame and embarrassment.

He accused the bank of intentionally staging the protest days to the APC Anambra governorship primary election of which he is an aspirant, to smear his campaign.

He asked the bank to tender an apology in five national dailies and pay N5 billion in damages or risk a lawsuit.

“Our client’s attention has been drawn to a video currently being shared on WhatsApp, showing not less than 25 [twenty-five] staff of the Abuja branch of Heritage Bank Plc., wearing customized Heritage Bank Plc., T-shirts; carrying placards and signages with defamatory inscriptions written on them, at the front gate of the residential premises of our client, in Asokoro Abuja,” he said.

“Despite your veiled denial, the deliberateness of your staffs’ action is founded and the intent, to wit: – bring our client to public opprobrium, shame, ridicule, scorn etc. is glaring for all to see.

“This is more so, as you deliberately picked the rather inauspicious period immediately preceding the forthcoming gubernatorial primary election of the All Progressives Congress [APC] for Anambra State slated for the 26th of June 2021, wherein our client is the leading candidate to clinch his Party’s ticket, to stage this smear campaign against him.

“Surely, the damage occasioned to our client by your calculated but ill-advised action is unquantifiable. However, our client will be assuaged if a public apology, unreserved, is tendered by you and published in at least 5 [five] national daily newspapers within a day of receipt of this letter and payment [Five Billion Naira] in damages.

“If not, we have our client’s further instructions to seek redress against you in a court of law for the same. Kindly be advised.

“We do hope that you will take benefit of the olive branch offered in this letter; the gamble, otherwise, is yours to suffer.”