Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has moved to initiate legal action against activist Deji Adeyanju over a series of alleged defamatory publications made on social media.
Obi, through his lawyer, Alex Ejesieme (SAN), accused Adeyanju of persistently spreading false and malicious statements against him on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), as well as on Facebook and other channels.
In a letter of demand issued on Obi’s behalf, Adeyanju was accused of repeatedly portraying the former Anambra State governor as corrupt, fraudulent, and a religious bigot. The publications, some of which date back to 2022, allegedly sought to injure Obi’s reputation among Nigerians and the international community.
Among the posts cited, Adeyanju alleged that Obi diverted Anambra State funds into family businesses, attempted to bribe him after a private meeting, and used religion to manipulate voters during the 2023 presidential campaign. Obi’s legal team described these claims as “false, malicious, and contrived,” insisting there was no truth in them
The letter further accused Adeyanju of characterizing Obi as “the leader of a mob” and “a scum,” remarks the lawyers said were calculated to portray him as an anarchist and a divisive figure.
Obi’s legal team is demanding that Adeyanju immediately delete all defamatory posts, issue a public apology across his social media platforms, and publish apologies in three national dailies.
The letter warned that failure to comply within seven days would compel Obi to institute a lawsuit seeking aggravated damages, a restraining injunction, and recovery of legal costs.
“The statements have been widely disseminated, causing untold damage to our client’s reputation and integrity,” the letter read in part.
