Welcome To Ayodeji Fawole's Blog: Obanikoro Files Committal To Prison Charge Against Sahara Reporter’s Publisher

Lawyers to former minister of defence and onetime Nigerian ambassador to Ghana, senator Musiliu Obanikoro have written a strongly worded letter to online news platform Saharareporters we can authoritatively confirm.

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro

Saharareporters had reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has received more evidence linking former junior minister for defence Musiliu Obanikoro with the infamous Ekitigate election scandal of June 2014 and the related plot to rig the Osun State gubernatorial election.

In a letter exclusively obtained by Naij.com, Dr. Yemi Oke on behalf of MJS Partners wrote to the publishers of Sahara Reporters, Mr Yele Sowore via their Ilaje street in Bariga address that they had filed court processes for his committal to prison for contempt of the court of Justice Ade Ipaye.

This is in view of a pending case of libel against SaharaReporters by Obanikoro in the matter of Ekiti elections where SR claimed that the recording was of a rigging plan.

Obanikoro through his lawyers’ letter made clear that he does not own any property anywhere outside Nigeria and is not in any way connected to any of the companies listed by SR as under investigation by EFCC in relation to Obanikoro.

The letter also insists that Obanikoro is not on the run and was offered admission into several foreign universities before the end of the last Government’s tenure. The former minister is now a student of History at the Oglethorpe University which commenced its fall semester in August last year.

Obanikoro’s media aide Demola Olarewaju claimed that he is unaware of the letter but confirmed that Senator Obanikoro had instructed his lawyers not to treat the falsehood by SaharaReporters with kid gloves.

“Senator Obanikoro has nothing to hide or run from” Olarewaju said. “His records of impeccable service to Lagos and Nigeria without the blemish of a single official indictment remains intact and cannot be sullied by the lies of a hack journalism platform that has waged a battle against him since 2007.”