Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has issued a retraction and apology for alleged defamatory remarks made against the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, and the party’s acting National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
In a letter dated December 6, 2024, and signed by Zainab Otega of Deji Adeyanju & Partners, Adeyanju expressed regret over the statements, clarifying that they were misinterpreted and never intended to defame the PDP leaders. The letter, addressed to Johnson Usman (SAN), counsel to Damagun and Anyanwu, formally withdrew the contentious remarks.
The letter read, in part: “Our client received two letters from the law firm of the revered Senior Advocate of Nigeria, J. J. Usman, alleging that some statements he made on a podcast a few weeks ago were deemed defamatory of Damagun and Anyanwu, the National Chairman and Secretary of the PDP respectively.”
It continued: “Our client’s statements on the podcast were taken out of the bigger context of the conversation, which was the need for the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party to provide a virile opposition to the ruling party. These statements were not intended to defame your clients, and any perception of defamation in the said statements is regretted and withdrawn with apologies.”
The human rights lawyer, through the letter, reiterated his commitment to Nigeria’s progress. “As a human rights activist, our client remains committed to the betterment of Nigeria and will continue to urge those in leadership to prioritize the interest of Nigerians over and above personal interest,” it added.
The controversy stems from Adeyanju’s remarks during an appearance on The Honest Bunch podcast, where he accused Damagun and Anyanwu of undermining the PDP. He alleged that Damagun was serving tea and Anyanwu serving “Kilishi” at the residence of President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Speaking on the podcast, Adeyanju claimed, “The current PDP is in Wike’s pocket at the national level. He installed the current PDP National Chairman, who goes to serve tea in Femi Gbajabiamila’s house. While Damagun is serving tea, PDP’s National Secretary, Sam Anyanwu, goes to the kitchen to serve Kilishi. These are Tinubu’s moles, just like Abure in LP, who is an APC mole. There is no opposition; that’s why nobody is challenging the system. Aside from a few of us, who else is talking?”
Following the remarks, Damagun and Anyanwu threatened legal action, vowing to pursue civil and criminal litigation over the alleged defamatory statements. Adeyanju’s retraction and apology appear to be an effort to address the fallout from the accusations.
