A chieftain of the Labour Party(LP), Chief Patrick Eholor, has threatened to sue a LP member representing Oredo Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. Esosa Iyawe over alleged defamation of character.
Eholor who spoke through his lawyer, Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr, alleged that Hon Iyawe is spreading false news on the heels of asking him about the palliatives given by President Bola Tinubu to National Assembly Members to ameliorate the plight of Nigerians including Hon Iyawe’s constituents in December 2023.
Eholor demanded that Hon Iyawe retract his statement against him for alleging that he was spreading false news in a ‘Notice of Pre-action/Request to Retract Statement made Alleging that Dr Patrick Osagie Eholor is Spreading False News’ addressed to Hon Iyawe, dated February 15, 2024 and signed by Samuel Ihensekhien Jr, Esq.
The notice reads in part, “We are solicitors to Dr. Patrick Osagie Eholor herein referred to as our client on whose firm instructions we write to you as follows; “We write to convey to you our client’s displeasure and dissatisfaction towards your response via WhatsApp social media platform in reaction to his humble and passionate appeal requesting for the palliative approved for the Oredo East Constituency of Federal Republic of Nigeria through his Facebook and WhatsApp platform.
“Kindly recall that on the 29th December 2023, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria His Excellency Ahmed Bola Asiwaju Tinubu signed palliatives for the 36 states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory.
“Since the approval, no sufficient information has been provided as to the whereabouts of the palliatives whether same has been received from the Federal Government or not.
“No single information is officially available as to whether same has been disbursed to the general public or not.
The summary of the extent of the Palliatives provided for includes food palliative and solar palliatives to be delivered to the people of your Constituency.
“Our client is a humanitarian activist and a stakeholder of Edo State and Nigeria at large who is seriously concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of the people. It is on the basis of our client’s passion for the people and to ensure democracy that our client made the Publication requesting explanation and whereabout of the palliative assigned by the Federal Government to various constituencies of Nigeria.
We wish to bring to your notice that our client is entitled to information about the Palliative as well as the general public under the Freedom of Information Act 2015; an act which makes public records and information more freely available.
“Our client is entitled to good representation as well as the good people of Edo State from you who is their representative.
“It is our brief that upon our client’s publication of a request which is not offensive nor misleading, you responded by sending him a message to wit: “Pls next time investigate before you start spreading false news.”
The said WhatsApp response is herein attached for your consideration.
“Your response to our client is unsatisfactory, arrogant, annoying and does not address the issues raised by our client. We humbly wish to state that your response is suggestive of the fact that our client is spreading false, misleading information, rumors and misguiding the general public.
“We therefore humbly request that you make a retraction of your response to our client through any generally acceptable means.”
It also warned that, “Please take notice that Notice of Pre-action is hereby given to you as we may be inclined to initiating the actual instruction of our client by exploring legal means to seek remedy.”
However, Hon Esosa Iyawe in a swift response while speaking with Vanguard regarding the notice sent to him by Eholor through his lawyer, Samuel Ihensekhien Jr Esq, maintained that Eholor was spreading false news, because he (Iyawe) had explained in December 2023 when he was asked about the palliative that no palliative of such has been received by him including other lawmakers of the Labour Party from President Bola Tinubu.
“If Chief Patrick Eholor has any personal vendetta against me he should simply tell me.
“After he sent me that text, I simply told him to investigate and ask questions. You have my number including numbers of other Rep members and Senators, and call; this palliatives we talked about in December has it been received? That is supposed to be his question.
“I replied his WhatsApp message he sent to me that ‘Please, next time investigate before you start spreading false news’ because it (palliative) has not been received.
“I can affirm that no Labour Party House of Rep Members received not even an okada bag of rice. I also said has anything being received, this is what you should first investigate.
“I don’t have any issue with him if he has he should address it, and I didn’t post my response to him on any social media platform but I sent him a WhatsApp encrypted text, it was a private conversation I had with him and now coming to say I accused you, how many people read the text.”
The lawmaker insisted and maintained that he (Eholor) is spreading false news because no palliative has been given to him to distribute to his constituents.
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