Peter Obi sues Deji Adeyanju for defamation
Peter Obi, former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has filed a defamation lawsuit against human rights activist Deji Adeyanju at the Anambra State High Court in Onitsha. He is seeking ₦1.5 billion in damages, accusing Adeyanju of publishing statements on social media he says are false and harmful to his reputation.
According to the court documents, Obi claims Adeyanju used his verified accounts on platforms including X, Facebook, and Instagram to label him with derogatory names like “religious bigot,” “fraud,” “political prostitute,” “scum,” and “leader of a mob.” Obi insists these labels, and other allegations, are malicious, baseless, and have caused him emotional distress, tarnished his public image, and damaged both his political and personal reputation.
Obi is asking the court to order Adeyanju to retract the posts, delete them from all his social media handles, publish an unreserved apology across these platforms, in at least three national newspapers, and on major television stations. He also seeks a perpetual injunction preventing Adeyanju from making further defamatory statements about him.
The lawsuit stipulates ₦500 million in aggravated (or exemplary) damages for what Obi describes as a reckless, persistent course of defamatory action, and ₦1 billion in general damages for reputational injury, ridicule, emotional pain, and public odium. He also demands 18% interest per annum on the judgment sum until full payment, plus costs of litigation and legal fees.
Ob Adeyanju has acknowledged the suit’s filing and in a response described himself as ready for court. He has stated publicly that he will prove in court that the allegations he made are truthful, and challenged Obi’s claims.
