Alleged defamatory remarks: Okpebholo demands apology from two PDP chieftains

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has issued a five-day notice to Chris Osa Nehikhare, Edo State Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and a party chieftain, Mr. Shedrach Udugbai, to immediately tender an unreserved apology to him over what he described as defamatory remarks made by them at various times and on different platforms.

Nehikhare was accused of making “defamatory and unsubstantiated allegations” against the Governor through a press release on March 19, 2025, captioned, “Edo PDP condemns Okpebholo’s N200m bribery ploy to buy defection of each assembly member. “Reckless misappropriation of state resources” and “ Senator Monday Okpebholo has summoned all Councillors from the 18 local councils of Edo State, in a desperate attempt to woo them with N2m each to decamp to the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

Udugbai was said to have defamed the Governor while appearing on “This Morning on ITV,” a program aired on Benin-based independent television (ITV) on March 13, 2025. In it, he accused Governor Okpebholo of bribing three members of the PDP in the state House of Assembly with two hundred million naira each to defect to the All Progressives Congress.

A pre-action notice signed by the Governor’s legal representatives, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere and Taiwo Elizabeth Olorunfemi, both of Blessing Agbomhere and Partners and sighted by our correspondent, said the alleged defamatory comments could be construed to mean that “the governor is a dishonorable man who engages in bribery and corruption and deals callously with the commonwealth of Edo state.”

The pre-action notice from the legal representatives further stated that the alleged defamatory comments meant that “Our Client is a dishonest man who can only have things done through bribery and corrupt practices” and that our client is a “dishonest person incapable of managing the affairs of Edo State and/or holding any public office.”

Blessing Agbomhere and Partners lamented that the wide broadcast of the said press release and interview, including on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, significantly amplified the reach and impact of the alleged defamatory comments, resulting in consequential harm to the governor.

While insisting that the allegations are wholly false and a calculated attempt to damage the governor’s hard-earned reputation, the governor’s legal team stated unequivocally that Governor Okpebholo has been adjudged by all well-meaning Edo indigenes and Nigerians in general as one of the few state governors who is doing excellently well and managing the state funds prudently.

They said that before becoming the governor of Edo State, the governor was a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where he performed his legislative duties impeccably without blemishes. Hence, the APC nominated him as their candidate for the governorship of Edo State, a position he now occupies.

“Our client has not been arrested, charged or convicted for financial impropriety or any offense whatsoever in Nigeria or elsewhere, and Our Client has never and will never engage in bribery or any other financial impropriety.

“It is hard to understand why our client’s name should feature in what seemed to be your attempt to address an issue regarding the decamping of lawmakers from your political party due to their dissatisfaction with how the affairs of your party are being run.

“The irresistible conclusion to be drawn is that, your statements were intended to expose our client to public ridicule and denigrate his well-preserved reputation in the eyes of members of the society generally.” the pre-action notice read in parts.

Governor Okpebholo, through his lawyers, lamented that since the publication of the said defamatory statement, he has been inundated with calls from friends, political associates and other well-meaning Nigerians locally and in the diaspora inquiring as to the propriety of the allegations, thereby exposing him to great distress, hurt and humiliation. He added that he neither solicited nor possessed any prior knowledge of the lawmakers’ defection.

As a form of remedy, the legal team of Blessing Agbomhere and Partners urged the PDP Chieftains to procure the recording and publishing of a retraction of the defamatory statements made in relation to the governor, which should be published through the same platform that the defamatory statements were made and all social media platforms and issue a letter of apology to the governor, published in two dailies circulating in Edo State and the entire Nigeria within five days of the receipt of the notice or face legal action.

Vanguard News