Defamation: Adeleke Threatens APC Spokesperson With N5bn Suit

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has threatened to sue the media director of the Osun state chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Kolawole Olabisi, over a defamatory statement.

Adeleke said he would sue Olabisi for N5bn damages.

Osun Defender reports that the Osun APC in a statement signed by Olabisi, had accused the state Governor Adeleke of complicity and maximum desperation about the 2026 governorship election.

The party accused Adeleke of not  condemning a video that has gone viral and suspected to have been sent out by one of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains in the state.

According to the APC spokesperson, the PDP chieftain in the video whose name was given, recommended the bombing of the state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), just as he expressed his apprehension about the likely outcome of the 2026 governorship election in Osun State.

“The agent of the devil under the auspices of the Osun State chapter of the PDP stated that he was disappointed in some PDP governors who addressed a press conference in Benin City, Edo State capital, while awaiting the results of the election. According to him, such press conference was a misplaced priority, adding that what was needed at that particular point in time would have been the bombing of the INEC office,” the statement noted.

The statement further stated, “It is the example of what the APC would do in Osun State that it did in Edo State last week. Whoever wants to die, let him die.

“There ought to have been a clandestine arrangement whereby one or two chartered bomb-laced helicopters would have been stationed in the neighbouring Delta State from where they would have successfully bombed the INEC office where close to 150 and 200 innocent people including the Resident Electoral Commissioner, the AIG, the Returning Officer and Presiding Officers would have met their untimely death..

“I can remember that we suggested the same maximum violence for Osun State during the 2022 elections in the state but it was needless as we won the election.

“We must realize the fact that the Osun APC never knew that they could lose the 2022 governorship election. If we are slacked now and we allow them to win the 2026 governorship election, there is no way that the PDP could take it back from them again till eternity.

“We must be prepared towards the next election and be ready to kill close to 200 innocent people including the REC, the AIG, the Returning Officer and the Presiding Officers through bombing of the INEC office so that they won’t be able to either collate or count the ballot papers let alone announce any result.

“We should work towards it as no one would know who might have carried out the dastardly act. Go and kill the people in order to implicate the INEC. They won’t be able to declare the results. It would attract the attention of the United Nations”, the statement quoted the anonymous PDP chieftain as saying.

Olabisi in the statement, said that it was bizarre that close to one week that the video message has gone viral, neither Governor Adeleke nor the leadership of the ruling party, has deemed it fit to condemn the issue which is a good ground to suspect the complicity of the governor and his cohorts in the unsavoury development.

The APC spokesperson tasked the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the matter with a view to bringing to book whoever might be behind the video.

He said, “Why is Governor Adeleke and his co-travellers afraid of losing the election when it was apparent that it was a party that lost to the PDP and the heavens did not fall? In a similar manner, when Governor Adeleke loses the forthcoming governorship election, the heavens would also not cave in?

“It is worthwhile to remind the statutory security agencies in the state that they are too placid with the issue of the plans of the anonymous PDP chieftain to cause maximum cataclysm in the state.

“If the PDP promoters of violence should be allowed to act according to their threat, it would be on record that a clarion call was earlier made to the security agencies in this regard. Prevention is far, far better than cure.”

But a statement signed by the spokesperson to the Governor,
Mallam Olawale Rasheed, noted that Adeleke was defamed through the statement released by Olabisi .

The statement described as irresponsible, the alleged defamatory allegations by the APC director, asking him to retract or allegations or face legal action.

“The allegation is reprehensible, baseless and defamatory. Mr Governor has ordered his lawyers to review the situation and demand retraction as the Governor did not and has not in any way planned or plot any attack on either INEC or any electoral official.

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“Upon failure to retract the offensive publication, the state director faces a potential libel suit with a demand for five billion naira damages. This deliberate falsehood will have consequences”, the statement noted.