Ighodalo Threatens ₦20bn Lawsuit Against Oshiomhole for Defamatory Claims

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, has instructed his lawyers to file a lawsuit against Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, over alleged defamatory remarks.

Ighodalo claims that Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, accused him of being involved in “Planwell,” a Ponzi scheme operated in Edo in the early 1990s.

At a campaign rally on Saturday, Oshiomhole had stated, “People of my age and even younger will remember how Asue Ighodalo and his associates were involved in what they called Planwell.

It was a scheme where you deposited ₦10,000 in the morning, and by the next day, it became ₦15,000. After six months, people were defrauded, the scheme disappeared, and they became rich while Edo people were impoverished.”

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In response, Ighodalo, through his lawyer Ayo Asala (SAN), labeled Oshiomhole’s statements as “false, defamatory, and malicious.” A letter addressed to Oshiomhole by Ighodalo’s legal team condemned the statements, asserting that they were baseless and aimed at tarnishing Ighodalo’s reputation for political gain.

“This baseless, unfounded, false, and malicious allegation has become another in a long line of such defamatory fabrications and statements made by you in respect of our client in the recent past.

“Our client is an accomplished Nigerian legal practitioner and a corporate leader whose impressive resume from birth up till the current day is entirely in the public domain, and our client has absolutely no connection with and could never have been involved in any manner whatsoever with the purported ‘Planwell’ scheme with which you have seriously defamed our client’s reputation.

“It is clear that the fabrication of the unfounded and false story regarding the purported involvement of our client in the said ‘Planwell’ scheme or any other financial scheme whatsoever is a figment of your imagination and a story fabricated purely for the purpose of denigrating the good character and reputation of our client for the achievement of the political purpose of advancing the sinking fortunes of your political party and candidate in the forthcoming Edo state gubernatorial elections.

“Our client has been inundated with calls and other contacts from concerned members of the public who heard your said allegations on electronic and social media, as a result of which our client has suffered enormous unwarranted reputational damage arising from the lies and baseless fabrications of which you have become the purveyor.”

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Ighodalo is demanding “an immediate and unqualified retraction and apology for your false, defamatory, and malicious statements, which should be published in at least two national television networks and three nationally circulating newspapers.

“Pay to our client damages in the sum of 20 billion Naira for your false, defamatory, and malicious statements referred to herein.

“Take notice that it is our client’s instructions that we immediately institute appropriate proceedings against you for damages in the sum of twenty (20) billion Naira (₦20,000,000,000.00) for your said false, malicious, irresponsible, and damaging statements made against our client without any foundation whatsoever in fact.

“Further take notice that such action will be instituted without further notice or correspondence to you in that regard whatsoever.”

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