May 13, 2014
Former Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari, is expected to file a suit against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, for alleged libel over the latter’s statement linking Buhari with the Boko Haram sect.
Buhari had on the 16th of April 2014, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the PDP to retract allegations linking him with the sect by tendering an unreserved public apology to him or face a legal action.
But the PDP is yet to issue the requested apology and as a result, the APC leaders would go ahead with the legal action against PDP and Metuh.
According to Daily Trust, Buhari’s legal team over the weekend, concluded the necessary processes to institute a legal action against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its The former head of state this week.
Interim national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Alhaji Lai Mohammed told Daily Trust when contacted on phone that Buhari will definitely pursue the case in the court and assured that the world will soon hear about it.
“There’s no hurry about it, we will definitely go to court and the world will hear about it,” he said.
One of the aides to General Buhari who spoke to our correspondent on conditions of anonymity, corroborated Mohammed’s position saying Buhari’s lawyers are putting finishing torches on the suit.
He said the lawyers are expected to complete the arrangement yesterday.
“As soon as the lawyers finish, they will advise the General on what do and how to go about it,” he told Daily Trust on phone.
Buhari had in a statement he personally signed in Kaduna, said he cannot sit back and allow his image and that of his political party be smeared by falsehood in the name of politics.
He said the widely publicized and ‘very serious allegations’ made against him by the PDP and its spokesman, Olisa Metuh, to the effect that his utterances were responsible for the current state of insecurity and terrorism bedeviling Nigeria, were absolutely without basis
“I take very serious exceptions to this grave accusation against me by the PDP Publicity Secretary. It is a false allegation aimed at tarnishing my image and reputation in the hope of destroying my political and electoral standings, and that of my party, the APC, in the country,” he had said.
The PDP national publicity secretary’s line was not clear when our correspondent called to hear from him why he had not apologized and he did not reply to texts sent to him on the matter.
-Abusidiqu