- By Femi Alabi
Embattled former Central Bank Governor (CBN) Godwin Emefiele has demanded the sum of N25billion from the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, for making defamatory statements against him.
Emefiele accused Akpabio, of making a statement that disparaged his character stemming from comments purportedly made by the Senate President at an event, which Emefiele claims have unjustly maligned his character and portrayed him as the root cause of Nigeria’s current economic challenges.
In the remarks the Akpabio suggested that the government was at a loss for what charges to bring against Emefiele, citing potential accusations ranging from causing economic turmoil to illegal possession of firearms and unauthorised printing of currency.
Matthew Burkaa, SAN, legal representative for Emefiele, stated in a letter addressed to the Senate President on Wednesday, that the former CBN governor considers these statements false, distorted, and made in bad faith. The statements were deemed to be aimed at disparaging his character.
The letter demanded an immediate retraction of the statement, a written apology, and the payment of twenty-five billion naira (N25,000,000,000) as compensation for the alleged defamation.
The legal team argued that the Senate President’s comments not only undermine the integrity of the judiciary by commenting on a matter currently under legal review but also fail to acknowledge Emefiele’s contributions to the Nigerian economy.
They highlighted his role in introducing banking sector innovations and his efforts in addressing the P&ID Saga, which had positive outcomes for Nigeria.
The letter read in part “Our Client’s attention has been drawn to a widely circulated statement made by you against him on Channels Television on or about the 18th February, 2024 which he considers false, distorted and clearly aimed at disparaging his character and indeed made in bad faith. The said statement is contained in a video and was made by you to a large gathering of persons and circulated globally via uncountable online media. The statement which has now gone viral had this heading attached to its preface ”we don’t know what crime to charge emefiele with” in the video, you stated clearly and unequivocally, among other things, as follows:
‘So the kind of debt and the kind of economic mess that we are in, a lot of people do not understand, I remember President Obama saying you cannot know Washington until you get to Washington. So by the time we went in to look at the economic state of the country it was terrible, so the Former Governor of Central of Bank of Nigeria we didn’t even know what to charge him, whether to charge him for putting foam on the … or to charge him for illegal possession of Fire Arms or to Charge him for printing notes without income, I don’t know what we are going to charge him with. But, what I know is that, yes there is hunger today because of the policies that they took.’
“The above statement, whether taken in their ordinary, figurative or literal meaning portrayed Our Client as.
The cause of the entire hardship in Nigeria today is as a result of the policies of the previous administration.
“A serial offender whose action is responsible for all the hardship experienced by Nigerians today.
“A person who has committed offences that are so numerous that the government is confused as to which of the offences to prefer a charge against him.
“Your Excellency, as the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you certainly know, or have reasons to know that the Federal Government of Nigeria had since the 14th August, 2023 preferred Charges against Our Client to which he had long pleaded not guilty and is presently defending same to exonerate himself and show that he is not guilty of the said allegations.