Some members of the Labour Party (LP), on Tuesday, asked the Sahara Reporters to retract alleged defamatory report against former Minister of Finance, Sen. Nenadi Usman.
The group, under the auspices of the Core Social Democrat (CSD) of LP in the South South, made the call in a statement in Abuja.
Eric Ifere, the Leader of CSD and a legal practitioner, who signed the statement, demanded a public apology from the online platform.
It will be recalled that Usman was appointed to lead the 29-member Caretaker Committee (CTC) of the Labour Party on Sept. 4 during an extended stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia in Abia.
The caretaker committee is to rescue the party from its current leadership crisis and organise a convention where a new leadership of the party would emerge from the ward to the national stage within 90 days.
However, Sahara Reporters, in the story published on Friday, alleged that the ex-minister who was appointed to lead the LP CTC, “is currently being prosecuted in various courts for alleged financial fraud.”
The online media said: “It had also been reported that Sen. Usman returned N140 million out of the N2.5 billion allegedly received from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA) ahead of the 2015 presidential elections.”
It equally alleged that Usman, who served as the Director of Finance for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation, surrendered two of her houses to the Federal Government as a condition for her release from the custody of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a reaction to the report, Ifere said it is crucial to underline the unfairness of the situation.
“We, the Core Social Democrat members of the Labour Party of Nigeria in the South-South of Nigeria, have noticed the malicious lies perpetrated by Sahara Reporters against our newly appointed chairman of the caretaker committee of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Esther Usman.
“We note that Sahara Reporter’s publication of Sept. 6, stating that Sen. Usman returned N140 million out of the N2.5 billion allegedly received from the office of the former NSA to the Federal Government as a condition for her release from EFCC custody are false, unfounded and malicious.”
The lawyer, who also made a certified true copy of the judgment of the Appeal Court sitting in Lagos State available to the media, said the charges against Usman were quashed by the appellate court.
“Sen. Usman’s charges at the Federal High Court, Lagos, were quashed by the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos presided by Justice Mohammed Ambi-Usi JCA of Lagos Division on the 20th day of April 2023 in Appeal NO CA/L/CR/541/2021.
“It is inappropriate for Sahara Reporters to insinuate guilt against her when the Court of Appeal quashed the charges against her,” he said.
According to Ifere, there’s also need to correct the misinformation spread by Sahara Reporters, as there is no evidence to support their claim that Senator Nenadi Usman returned any funds or properties to the Federal Government of Nigeria in connection with any criminal trial.
“This unjust attack on her character is a grave concern to us and all who value democracy and justice.
“The narrative propagated by Sahara Reporters to tarnish Senator Nenadi Usman’s reputation is baseless and lacks evidence.
“”It is an unfair assault on her character. From the beginning, it has been a groundless fabrication, and we staunchly uphold Senator Nenadi Usman’s innocence until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.
The CSD leader said the sheer lack of basis for these allegations should reassure all who uphold fairness and justice of Usman’s integrity.
“The deliberate misrepresentation of facts and the creation of false narratives by Sahara Reporters to serve their hidden agenda is a breach of the trust of journalists to uphold the code of accuracy and standards for factual reporting.
“We believe that perhaps Sahara Reporters’ motive for such overblown lies was instigated by their irritating intentions to derail the Labour Party’s mission to organise into a formidable force and opposition in the forthcoming elections as desired by Nigerians who are looking for a purposeful government to free them from the hunger clutches of the present government.
“This is a significant stain on journalism and a direct attack on democracy,” he said.
He said LP, as a political entity, is committed to justice and fairness.
“We stand by Senator Nenadi Usman in this unjust attack on her character,” he said.
He said through the story, the online platform had “misled readers into believing that Usman had acknowledged criminal liability in any alleged charges purportedly by refunding sums of money and houses to the Federal Government, which she denies.”
He said such unfounded allegations could severely damage her reputation and hinder her ability to serve effectively in her political role.
Besides, Ifere said the report came even when an Appeal Court sitting in Lagos State had quashed the charges filed against Usman before Federal High Court, Lagos.
“We are deeply disappointed by Sahara Reporters, a media outlet that claims to uphold democracy and justice.
“The fabrication of such false stories, seemingly without any justifiable reason or maliciously sponsored by enemies of the Labour Party, breaches the trust of Sahara Reporters as journalists.
This disheartening revelation undermines the credibility of Sahara Reporters and the media. The disappointment in their actions is profound, a sentiment that we believe is shared by many and underscores the gravity of the situation.
“In conclusion, we reiterate our demand that Sahara Reporters retract the defamatory story and issue a public apology immediately.
“This is not just a request but a demand that carries significant weight.
“Failure to do so could result in legal action from Sen.Usman, which would damage the reputation of Sahara Reporters and incur significant costs.
“We urge Sahara Reporters to act responsibly and correct the grave injustice they have done to Senator Nenadi’s reputation without further delay.
“This is a matter of justice and fairness that we, as the Labour Party, are committed to uphold,” the lawyer said.(NAN
