The National Vice Chairman (South‑West) of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has demanded a public retraction, apology and ₦50 billion compensation from Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), over an alleged defamatory remark made during a podcast interview.
Arabambi’s demand is contained in a formal letter sent by Neplus Ultra Attorneys and signed by Anderson U. Asemota, Peter O. Asimegbe and Stanley C. Eziefulle, acting on his behalf.
The letter states that the complaint arises from an interview in which Obi was alleged to have said that Arabambi “does not have an address.”
According to Arabambi’s legal team, that remark is false, malicious and defamatory because it portrays their client as a faceless person who lacks legitimacy, credibility and standing in public life.
They further argue that describing a known political figure as someone without an address suggests he is unreliable and impossible to locate or hold accountable, which they say strikes at the core of his public image.
The lawyers add that the interview did not stay confined to a single platform but was subsequently shared by television stations and across multiple digital channels.
They say this wide circulation exposed Arabambi to ridicule in the eyes of a large audience that might not know his background but could accept Obi’s portrayal at face value.
In the letter, they state, “Our Client has had a known residential and business address, maintains professional and political affiliations within Nigeria and has never been a person whose whereabouts or identity were unknown,” insisting that the podcast remark contradicts verifiable facts about his life.
Lawyer Demands Apology, ₦50bn Compensation From Obi
They maintain that the publication of Obi’s comment, and its repeated rebroadcast, damaged Arabambi’s reputation and subjected him to embarrassment and public mockery.
Consequently, Arabambi’s legal representatives have set out specific conditions they want Obi to meet to repair what they describe as the injury to their client’s name.
They write, “We demand an unreserved public apology to be broadcast on national television and published on Obi’s verified social media platforms, as well as full‑page apologies in the national dailies.”
In addition to the retraction and apologies, they seek substantial monetary compensation.
They state, “In addition, we demand the payment of N50 billion, as compensation for injury to our client’s reputation, dignity, political standing and public image.”
For Arabambi, the case is not only about a single sentence in a podcast but about what happens when high‑profile political figures use public platforms to describe their rivals in ways that, in his view, can harm careers and personal honour.
The letter suggests that if Obi does not meet these demands, Arabambi is prepared to escalate the matter, turning the dispute into a test of how far Nigerian politicians can go with sharp words before courts are asked to step in.
