The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar, has filed an N2.5bn libel suit against President Muhammadu Buhari’s social media aide, Lauretta Onochie.
The former Vice President filed the suit over an alleged libelous publication against his person.
Atiku on Tuesday appeared at the Registry of the FCT High Court in Maitama to formally deposed to his own witness statement on Oath before the Commissioner for Oaths to kick-start the libel suit against Onochie.
Okay.ng recalls that Atiku had in May this year threatened to sue Onochie over he publication is made on social media.
The President’s aide had on her Twitter handle alleged that the former vice president is on the watch list of security operatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for alleged criminal matters.
In another post on her Twitter handle on May 7, 2019, she also accused Atiku of shopping for terrorists in the Middle East.
“Atiku on UAE watchlist – security sources; Security operatives in the United Arab Emirates are keeping a close tab on a former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who has been in Middle East nation for several weeks now. What is he doing there? Me: shopping for terrorists?” she wrote.
The PDP presidential candidate insisted that there is no iota of truth in the said publication which is beginning to affect public perception of his person.
Atiku added that the publication has caused him national and international backlash and embarrassment as well as incalculable damages.
The former VP’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) described Onochie’s statement as not only vile and denigrating but a calculated attempt to disparage his person in the eyes of right-thinking members of the public.
