Ortom writes Oshiomhole: Retract allegations or get sued

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, has asked Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to retract allegations made against him or face legal action.

The governor also asked for a public apology in the media within 7 days and N10bn as damages.

In a letter to Oshiomhole, Ortom said the APC national chairman damaged his reputation at a press conference in Abuja on July 27, 2018.

During the press conference, Oshiomhole had accused the governor of deepening the circle of poverty in his state.

The APC chairman alleged that Ortom mismanaged bailout funds and Paris Club refund and also refused to pay salaries.

According to the letter written by Samuel Irabor, the governor’s counsel, he said the allegations made by the APC chairman against his client were very astonishing, unsubstantiated, wild.

The letter read in part, “A letter of retraction/apology addressed to our client in respect of the false, defamatory and libellous statement made against him in the sponsored press conference herein complained of.

“That the said retraction/apology be simultaneously published in the Sunday edition of 10 National Dailies circulating within Benue State as well as a paid advertorial to the same effect on the prime time beats of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Channels TV, TVC News, African Independent Television (AIT), Independent Television (ITV) Benin, Radio Nigeria, Radio Benue and Harvest FM, Makurdi.

“An undertaking not to indulge in any such false publication against our client in future. Payment of #10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) only to our client as punitive, general, exemplary and aggravated damages.”