Lagos East Senatorial By-election: Gbadamosi Gives Oladejo 7 Days To Retract Allegation Of WAEC Forgery Or Face N1bn Legal Action

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the upcoming Lagos East Senatorial By-election, Mr. Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi, has threatened to drag the spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos Chapter, to court if he does not retract his statement wherein he accused Gbadamosi of forging WAEC Certificate.

This is contained in a letter signed by Gbadamosi’s lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, dated 2nd December, 2020 sighted by TheNigeriaLawyer.

Gbadamosi said Oladejo had made publications in various newspapers accusing him (Gbadamosi) of forging WAEC Certificate because the said certificate bears only five (5) subjects as opposed to eight (8) subjects that reflect on the website of WAEC

“Ultimately, the purport and clear effect of your statement published to the world is to falsely suggest that our Client, Mr. Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi, criminally forged his West African Examination Council (WAEC) Certificate. Knowing well that our Client is the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the coming Lagos East Senatorial election and yourself being the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, your ulterior was to smear the name of our Client with a view to portraying him (our Client) as a criminal and a corrupt person who is not fit and proper to hold an elective position.” the letter partly reads

Adegboruwa said since the publication, Gbadamosi has been inundated with telephone calls, visits and enquiries from his friends and family members, colleagues, supporters and sympathizers, both home and abroad.

He added that “the statement was read by persons in different states of Nigeria and different countries in the world. This has caused our Client both mental and psychological torture. Your action has indeed lowered the esteem of our Client, whereas the statements are patently false, malicious and defamatory.”

Adegboruwa, therefore, gave Olalere seven (7) days within which to retract the offending publication, tender an unreserved apology together with payment of N1 Billion or face legal action in court.

In the Memorandum of Claim signed by Adegboruwa, Gbadamosi’s proposed claims are stated to include a declaration that Oladejo’s authored publication reported in several newspapers and online media on or about November 23 and November 24, 2020, is calculated to wrongly expose the Gbadamosi to contempt, ridicule, obloquy and odium in the estimation of right-thinking members of the Society

He will also seek a declaration that Oladejo’s approval and publication of his issued press statements reported in several newspapers and online media, is false, malicious and defamatory.

Other proposed reliefs include an order compelling the Defendant to retract the aforesaid libelous issued statements and “AN ORDER compelling the Defendant to issue to the Claimant, a letter of unreserved apology for the said publication of his issued press statements reported in several newspapers and online media against the Claimant, particularly in the Nigerian Tribune and publish the said letter of apology in four (4) National Newspapers.

“PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Defendant, whether by himself, agents, servants, employees, privies, assigns, friends or personal representatives, or otherwise howsoever from further publishing, posting or hosting such defamatory statements against the Claimant

“AN ORDER directing the Defendant to pay to the Claimant, the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) only representing aggravated and exemplary damages for the injury, loss and/or likely loss of reputation and character caused the Claimant by the Defendant’s publication”

“AN ORDER directing the Defendant to pay to the Claimant, the sum of N100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) only representing general damages over the embarrassment, derision, public ridicule, odium, obloquy, mental agony and psychological trauma caused the Claimant by the Defendants’ publication.”

The Lagos East Senatorial District Bye-election is scheduled to be held on Saturday, December 5, 2020.