C’ River Reps Member Threatens APC Chieftain, Blogger With N2bn Suit For Defamation
Edith CHUKU
A member of the House of Representatives from Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency of Cross River State, Dr Alex Egbona, has threatened to drag Dr Jerome Egbe, a chieftain of the APC and aide of the state governor, Senator Bassey Otu, to court for alleged defamation.
Egbona’s lawyer, Mr Prince Wekekayo Eteng Ekpe Esq, of Wekekayo Eteng Ekpe & Associates, Hassana’s Court Lugbe Federal Housing Estate, Abuja, FCT, in a letter addressed to the governor’s aide, a copy of which was made available to TNN on Friday, demanded an apology from Egbe, for the allegations he was quoted to have made against the legislator as was published in a news site, detailingnews.
A similar letter was written to the publisher of the online news medium, Mr. Jesam Ofem.
In the respective letters, Egbona demanded a retraction and an apology in three national newspapers and on the same platforms used in defaming his character, within 48 hours, from the date they was served the letters(Thursday), or risk a N2bn suit(N1bn each).
Egbona warned that at the expiration of the 48 hours, if the conditions were not met, he would approach the court to seek redress.
Egbe was reported to have granted an interview to Detailing News, where he accused Egbona and his son, Amor Vincent Egbona, of leading an assault against him during an Abi caucus meeting, thereby presenting him as a violent person in the eyes of right thinking members of the public.
From Egbe’s interview as published in the news site, it was alleged that the lawmaker and his son invaded the meeting with thugs and attacked him (Egbe)with a digger after attempting to sway members of the caucus with financial inducements, adding that tension escalated when he(Egbe) stood firm in defense of the interest of the governor.
Describing the claims as misleading and libelous, which he said were published without verification, Egbona demanded the following from the APC chieftain.
“A retraction of your false and libellous allegations with immediate effect.
“An unreserved apology published in three national dailies wherein you inform the public that the allegations are false and therefore retracted within 48 hours.
“A publication of the unreserved apology on social media and through the same means which you used in publishing the defamatory and libellous article against our client(Egbona).”
