Lagos Speaker to sue Premier Newspaper for alleged defamation

Eromosele Ebhomele

The leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly, western Nigeria has threatened to sue a weekly Lagos-based newspaper, The Premier, for allegedly claiming that the Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, at one time called the Governor of the state, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, ‘a traitor’.

Published as lead story in one of its September edition, the newspaper had recalled a controversial posting on Facebook, a social site, where a faceless individual had written derogatory opinion indicting a female member of the House, Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, a leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Muiz Banire, the state governor and some other individuals.

The opinion, titled: ‘My Ordeal In The Hands Of Dr. Muiz Banire’, which was posted by the individual and tagged with the Speaker’s fan page on the social site in July, had been misconstrued as coming from the Speaker, but even after the management of the fan page reacted against the opinion on Facebook, the House, through a statement, further denied that Ikuforiji wrote the comment or contracted anyone to do so.

At a press conference on Thursday, the Lagos House of Assembly Committee chairman on Information, Publicity and Security, Segun Olulade, told journalists that the Speakers legal team as well as the legal unit of the House would be taking a legal action against the newspaper.

Displaying the 2 September, 2014, edition captioned: ‘Fashola Is A Traitor, Lagos Speaker, Ikuforiji In Scathing Facebook Attack on BRF’, with the story appearing on pages 16, 17 and 20, Olulade said it was lamentable that a media house like Premier would go ahead with a story without investigation.

He expressed belief that the newspaper could be up to some mischief as it did not carry the reaction of the management of the fan page. The story, he said, also quoted Ikuforiji as making all the derogatory comments in the opinion.

Olulade said the opinion was posted on the Speaker’s Facebook fan page on July 13, 2014, while upon instruction from the Speaker, his Facebook team reacted with a disclaimer the next day.

“Mr. Speaker had gone through the text and confirmed that the story was entirely fabricated by the unknown author with a calculated intention of rocking political crisis among the top echelon of the government of Lagos State.

“In the disclaimer, the Speaker distanced himself from the story, drawing strong and convincing evidences that are crystal clear to every right thinking person that such low-cost and watery statement could not have emanated from the calibre of his person.”

Olulade said the repeat of the story by Premier newspaper was done with contempt and as such has resolved to take a serious action against the newspaper company.

He said the leadership of the House has vowed to legally challenge every secondary source found re-echoing the story particularly with refreshed headings and addendum that clearly show that “certain people still have air to grind on the matter.

The lawmaker said: “while the Lagos State House of Assembly upholds its respect to the gentlemen of the press across board and various honourable media organisations in the country given harmonious relationship between the two institutions, we would like to state clearly that malicious publications capable of destabilising the peace of the society especially in the government circle without any serious investigations and cross examinations will be challenged in the face of the law accordingly.

“Given the story as re-echoed by The Premier Newspaper, the introduction to the story gradually took flight away from its initial story line vis a vis gladiators jostling for top Lagos job, to focus exclusively on Mr. Speaker, lifting un-investigated story to justify its entire publication.

“Furthermore, we frown at the medium’s employment of a more conflicting and misleading heading to portray its story.”

Olulade, who appealed to the media to support the strengthening of Nigeria’s democracy by ensuring the reflection of all sides to all stories at all times especially when it affects public office holders, urged the public to disregard all stories linking the Speaker with such malicious opinion and portraying crisis situation between him and other respected personalities in the state.