According to Mohammed in
his brief filed before the Lagos State High court, Ikeja, Metuh had defamed him
in a press release, authored and circulated on September 20, 2015,
where
according to him was alleged that he (Mohammed) embezzled the funds meant for
fencing of an airport in one of the APC-controlled states in the South-West.
The ministerial nominee and
spokesman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Monday
filed a N500m defamation suit against Chief Olisa Metuh of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP.
Mohammed also claimed that
Metuh alleged he (Mohammed) obtained money to supply ambulances to one
APC-controlled state in the South-West, which he never did.
Though, the suit, filed
Monday is yet to be assigned to any judge.
In the statement, Metuh was
claimed to have wondered where the APC Chieftain got the courage to speak on
corruption when indeed he had mastered the art of corruption having been “a
personal aide to one of the most corrupt politicians to ever bestride the
political space of the country.”
Mohammed, who noted he was a one-time coordinator of the Bola
Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation, disclosed that the statement credited to
Metuh was “carefully calculated to inflict damage on my reputation and to
lessen me in the estimation of the public.”
According to him, Metuh in
the statement had said, “…our final word for the APC spokesman on this, is that
being ethically challenged, includes embezzling funds meant for fencing an
airport in an APC-led South-West state.
“It also includes when one
fraudulently refuses to supply ambulances after collecting monies from another
APC South-West state.
“It is a comedy of roles
when Alhaji Lai Mohammed speaks on corruption, a topic he practices and has well
learnt, being a personal aide to one of the most corrupt politicians to ever
bestride the political landscape of the country.”
Claiming monetary damaged,
Mohammed claimed that Mehuh had injured his “character in a grave manner and
caused him considerable reputational destruction and embarrassment.”
He added that Metuh
admitted authorising the statement in a letter by his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba
(SAN) dated September 25, 2015 to the claimant’s lawyer, Wahab Shittu, but
denied that it was Mohammed that was being referred to.
Mohammed, however, quoted
Etiaba to have also referred to an earlier statement where Mohammed also
attacked Metuh by stating that “the allegations of corruption hanging on his
(Metuh) neck, from within his own party is a clear indication that he is
mortally afraid that the wind will soon blow hard enough to expose the fowl’s
rump…”
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