Godswill Akpabio, Nigeria’s Senate President, will have to cough out a whopping N1billion to avoid being dragged to court to explain his claim that the Federal Government was at sea on what offence to charge Godwin Emefiele with, given the massive misdeeds of the embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in office.
Emefiele, is demanding the amount as part of the damages over the comments of the Senate President, at a thanksgiving service by Barinada Mpigi, a Senator from Rivers Stat, in Koroma, Tai Local Government Area of the state on Sunday, where he was quoted as saying that the former CBN boss left the Nigerian economy in such a mess that the government did not know the offence to charges him with.
Emefiele who gave the hint through Matthew Burkaa, his lawyer, in a notice to the Senate President dated February 19, 2024, faulted the comment “we don’t know what to charge Emefiele with” statement credited to Akpabio on February 18, 2024, claimed the statement was “false, distorted and clearly aimed at disparaging his character and indeed made in bad faith”.
After about four months in the detention of the Department of State Services (DSS), after his arrest on June 10, 2023, Emefiele, was transferred to the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is currently trying him in court.
Stressing that contrary to Akpabio’s claim, the Federal Government had since August 14, 2023 preferred charges against Emefiele and his client had pleaded not guilty of the said allegations, Emefiele, maintained in the letter, said Akpabio ought to have known the facts, having worked with the administration of Muhammdu Buhari, under which he was the CBN governor.
The letter, read: “Your statement attributing the present economic woes of the country solely on Our Client is most appalling and exposes the inaccuracies in Your assertions, especially, as you were a major player in the immediate Past Administration and worked closely with Our Client and indeed witnessed the innovations he introduced in the banking sector and its impact on the economy whilst in office, as well as the role he played despite all odds in salvaging Nigeria in the P & ID Saga and the positive result it brought for Nigeria.
“You are also aware that no single policy was carried out by Our Client without the approval, directive or authorisation of the President and/or the Federal Executive Council of which you were a key and powerful member.
“These baseless and false allegations clearly defames the character of Our Client and has also caused him great pains and embarrassment as it has lowered his esteem before the right thinking members of the society in addition to the obvious odium and opprobrium from the unsuspecting members of the society as a result of the falsity contained in that statement.
“We therefore have Our Client’s further instruction to demand from you an unreserved apology in writing, published and circulated by the same medium with which you have defamed his character and the sum of One Billion Naira (N1,000,000,000) as reasonable compensation for the willful and unjustifiable denigration of his hard earned reputation.”
See letter: