From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja and Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The South East Zonal Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to institute a libel suit against Senator Smart Adeyemi if he failed to apologise for his utterances against Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State on the floor of the Senate.
Adeyemi, who represents Kogi West constituency had last week described Ikpeazu as a champagne drinker and drunkard who had nothing to offer his people.
In a statement at the end of an emergency committee meeting in Enugu, the Zonal Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Augustine Okeke, said it was surprising that Adeyemi who had no stake in Abia could resort to such derogatory language to qualify a governor elected twice by his people.
“South East PDP considers Senator Adeyemi’s outbursts as an unbridled defamation of the character of Okezie Ikpeazu, a highly placed member of PDP of South East extraction, and by consequence a slight and an affront to the people of PDP in South East. Consequent upon this, the Zonal Working Committee of PDP, South East Zone hereby demands that Senator Adeyemi should publicly apologise to Governor Ikpeazu within seven days for this unprovoked defamation of character. Failure of Senator Smart Adeyemi to do this, would leave the ZWC of PDP, South East zone with no other option than taking every necessary measure to seek redress, including but not limited to instituting a libel suit against Adeyemi.”
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe must retract and tender an unreserved apology to Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello and Senator Adeyemi, over his ‘unbidden unprovoked utterances’ at the floor of the Senate.
A statement by the party’s Acting Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, maintained that contrary to the position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), if there was any apology to be tendered, it should from Abaribe, who in a video currently trending, disparaged the achievements and the person of Governor Bello and also refused pleas from senators from Kogi to retract the statement.
“A careful perusal of the facts on ground shows clearly that Adeyemi’s response was initiated by Abaribe’s unbidden and unprovoked utterances at the floor of the Senate. We make reference to the deplorable video by Senator Abaribe against Governor Bello, which has been circulating on most social media platforms. Indeed, if there is any apology to be tendered, it should be by Abaribe who must retract every statement in the video currently trending, disparaging the achievement and the person of Governor Bello. Abaribe’s utterances were not only false, irresponsible and malicious, but most importantly, totally unprovoked. And on this note, we insist that he must publicly withdraw the false statements made by him, or be prepared to face the full brunt of the law.
“Adeyemi’s remarks were as a result of Abaribes utterances which he refused to apologise for, knowing full well that no content contained in the video was true. Having tried on more than one occasion to persuade Abaribe to do the honourable thing, without luck, Adeyemi’s retaliation is naturally expected as he has an obligation to defend his state and his senatorial district against any perceived danger or false representation.”