The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, says there’s a calculated ploy to malign and tarnish his image.
He said this in reaction to allegation by the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-West, Dr Salihu Lukman that he mismanaged Osun State governorship election campaign funds.
Lukman made the allegation on Tuesday while featuring on a programme AIT.
“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,” he had alleged.
However, Omisore in a letter through his lawyer dated March 15th and addressed to Lukman insisted that his allegation has caused damage to his character and integrity.
Omisore demanded damages of N500 million from Lukman and a retraction and an apology to be published in two major newspapers and several online news outlets within 48 hours.
He noted that it was clear beyond doubt that Lukman’s statement and publication were a political ploy with the intent to damage his reputation and integrity in the eyes of right-thinking members of the public.
The party scribe maintained that it was a deliberate attempt sponsored and 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.
The letter reads: “Our client has consequently directed us to request for a retraction of your libellous 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 of N500 million 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.”