The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has threatened to file a N2 billion suit against Lauretta Onochie, the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on social media, for damaging his character and reputation through the spread of “lies”.
In the alternative, Atiku asked Onochie to, among others, pay the sum of N500m and tender a written apology.
According to Atiku’s letter which was signed by his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and addressed to Onochie, the former Vice-President expressed disgust with Onochie’s post on Twitter in which she claimed that that is Atiku on United Arab Emirates’s watchlist.
Onochie posted the tweet on May 7.
The PDP presidential candidate denied having been on any watch list and challenged Onochie to prove her allegation.
The presidential candidate asked Onochie to publish a retraction in six national newspapers and one international daily as well as on social media.
Ozekhome’s letter reads: “We have our client’s instructions to demand and we hereby demand from you the following: That you publish and tender a written retraction and apology for the said libellous publication in six national dailies circulating in Nigeria and one international daily as well as on all social media platforms wherein the said publication was made.
“That you pay to our client through the firm, the sum of N500,000,000 only, representing minimal damages to assuage his already battered image wholly caused by your said defamatory publication.
“Take notice that if you fail or refuse to accede to our modest demands within the next 48 hours from the date of this letter, we shall be compelled to activate the full weight of the legal machinery against you without any further recourse to you.
“We shall be, in such a suit, claiming against you the sum of N2bn, representing exemplary aggravated and punitive damages.”
 in the 2019 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has threatened to file a N2 billion suit against Lauretta Onochie, the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on social media, for damaging his character and reputation through the spread of “lies”.){kind=link}