Alleged N41bn NITEL fraud: Elumelu demands public apology, threatens to sue Senator Akinyelure
Sequel to a statement credited to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure alleging the involvement of United Bank of Africa (UBA) and indictment of its chairman, Mr. Elumelu in a N41 (Forty One Billion Naira) fraud relating to NITEL in liquidation, Elumelu has demanded a retraction of the statement and public apology in seven days.
Legal team of Elumelu, RA Lawal-Rabana (SAN) and Kemi Balogun (SAN) in a joint statement on Monday said the Senator’s claim
Owing to the extent of damages of the allegations to Elumelu and UBA’s image, the legal giants demanded a public apology and retraction of the said statements credited to the senator.
Failure to comply will result in full legal action against the senator.
Read full statement below:
FALSE AND MALICIOUS PUBLICATIONS BY SENATOR AYO AKINYELURE AGAINST UBA PLC AND ITS CHAIRMAN, MR. TONY O. ELUMELU, CON.
We write on behalf of Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, CON (our Client) whose attention has been drawn to several false online publications credited to Senator Ayo Akinyelure, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions alleging the involvement of UBA and indictment of Mr. Elumelu in a N41 (Forty One Billion Naira) fraud relating to NITEL in liquidation.
Our Client is shocked by this false, baseless, and mischievous allegation as neither him nor any of the organisations associated with him has ever been involved in or indicted for any fraud as was falsely alleged by Senator Ayo Akinyelure.
Our Client is also alarmed and appalled by this deliberate peddling of falsehood and misinformation against an unblemished personal and business reputation, painstakingly built by our Client over several decades with great personal sacrifice and unquestionable integrity.
Our Client rejects Senator Akinyelure’s attempt to use the platform of the respected institution of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to accomplish whatever ulterior motives he may have.
It is important to emphasise that when UBA appeared before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, attention was drawn to the fact that the facts and circumstances leading to the disputes on the alleged financial indebtedness was pending before the Supreme Court in SC/CV/1 12/2020. It was resolved that given the pendency of the matter at the Supreme Court, it was sub-judice and all actions on the matter be suspended. It is shocking and sacrilegious that a matter pending at the Apex Court could be subjected to debate contrary to the Rules of the Senate and by extension, the principle of law that when a matter is sub-judice, it should not be subjected to debate before a decision is reached by the Court. Therefore, the publications ascribed to Senator Ayo Akinyelure is in total disregard of the Rules of Senate and the Rule of Law
Our Client has instructed us to, and we have demanded an immediate open, public and unreserved retraction of the said statements credited to Senator Akinyelure and an apology from Senator Akinyelure for this false allegation and defamation of our Client.
We have our Client’s further instruction to take all appropriate legal actions against Senator Akinyelure and his media agents if our above stated demand is not met within Seven (7) days of their receipt of our demand letter.
