Gov Abiola Ajimobi
A former governor of Oyo State and governorship candidate of Accord Party in next month’s governorship election in the state, Senator Rasheed Ladoja has slammed Governor Abiola Ajimoji with a law suit over the governor’s statement that the former governor refunded the sum of N500 million to the coffers of the Oyo State government as part of the terms of a plea bargain he entered into with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Ladoja is claiming N10 billion as damages. Ladoja had denied entering into any plea bargain with the EFCC, describing the motive behind the statement from Ajimobi as an attempt to smear his integrity ahead of next month’s election.
To avoid appearing in court, Ladoja is seeking N10 billion as damages,a retraction of the publication and apology within seven days,according to a letter Ladoja’s lawyer, Mr. Biodun Abdu-Raheem, wrote Ajimobi a copy of the letter titled “Re: Oyo State publication in the Nigerian Tribune of January 14, on pages 10, 11 and 12, and the Nation Newspaper on pages 7, 56 and 57, captioned ‘N500 million EFCC refundby Ladoja: Face of Ladoja, the serial liar – demand for N10 billion damages, retraction and apology”, and dated January 14, was made available to journalists in Ibadan yesterday.
The letter reads: “For the umpteenth time, our client denies in its entirety the allegation by your government that he made the refund as alleged or at all to the EFCC. Our client demands that you make available any document to show he made such payments and for the purpose alleged, that is, plea bargaining.
“We reiterate that none of the documents published so far substantiates that our client is directly involved in the allegation. We wish to note that going by the contents of your letters exhibited in the said publications of September 6, 2013, November 26, 2013, and January 9, 2014.
“There is nothing to show that as at January 10, 2014, when the last letter was said to have been received by the EFCC till date, that your request for ‘revalidation’, ‘repatriation’ and ‘release’ as variously requested by your government in your said letters have been acceded to or granted by the EFCC.
“We also note that all the aforementioned letters are at your instance and none was at the instance of the EFCC in order to know that any of your requests was granted at all. Could it have been that the non-inclusion of the EFCC’s letters was a deliberate act or omission on the part of government?
“Drawing from the above, it is very clear from your last letter dated January 9, 2014, that the government was at best still pursuing the revalidation, repatriation and release of the cheques and their money value as at that date.”
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