The last has not been heard of the rift between Japheth Omojuwa, Social Media influencer, and Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education.
Omojuwa has been in the news over the role he allegedly played in the social media campaign for the release of a Colombian alleged fraudster, Alex Saab, who has been declared wanted in the United States.
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Buzzfeed, an American news platform, had exposed how Omojuwa used Alpha Reach Limited, his PR firm, to run a campaign for Saab, who is currently facing extradition charges in Cape Verde.
While Omojuwa denied his participation in the campaign, the Buzzfeed report said two persons working in his PR firm, were recruited to participate in the campaign.
Ezekwesili was listed as one of the directors of Alpha Reach, according to Buzzfeed.
But the ex-minister, who denied having any links with the company, alleged that her name was fraudulently used.
She had demanded an apology and full disclosure of the records of Alpha Reach from Omojuwa, threatening that failure to meet her demand would leave her with no other option than to sue the blogger.
In a reply letter signed by Boonyameen Babajide Lawal for Babalakin and Co Legal Practitioners said Omojuwa got consent from Ezekwesili before listing her as a director in his company.
“Our client sought and obtained your client’s consent before listing her as a Director of the company, based on their close relationship, which you curiously omitted to mention in your letter,” the letter from Omojuwa’s lawyer read.
“Both Mallam El-Rufai and your client were listed as Directors of Alpha Reach Company Limited when it was registered in 2012, with their full consent. Likewise, our client recalls being seated at the suite of a respected man of God at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, trusting your client with some very personal and painful stories. At a point in our client’s life, your client was his most trusted person and confidant. Some people can attest to this fact, and they will, at the appropriate time and forum.
“Clearly, your client is a successful public figure with whom our client had a close relationship. It is reasonable that our client wanted to leverage her reputation to advance the company he promoted. It was not until 2015 when it was certain that HE Mallam El-Rufai was going to become the Governor of Kaduna State and the likelihood that your client could be appointed a Minister by the then President-elect Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, that they both were removed as Directors of the company.
“You might recall that your client honoured the ruling party’s invitation to deliver a keynote speech at a public forum in Abuja in 2014, and there was a general expectation that she would play a role in President Buhari’s government. Indeed, your client leaned on our client to publish and distribute her speech at the APC forum,” the letter said.
On Ezekwesili’s request for full disclosure of documents submitted at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in the course of registering Alpha Reach, the lawyer said, “In your letter, you requested full disclosure of documents. Our client is very much willing to disclose documents relating to the period between September 2012 and April 2015, when your client was a Director of the company. However, given how your client and her family shared the letter under reference on social media (in clear demonstration of bad faith) after our client had already acknowledged receiving it, your client and her family could not be trusted not to disclose the company’s sensitive corporate information if it is made available to her. Our client would only make those documents available to your client upon a written undertaking that the documents would be treated with utmost confidentiality.”
Omojuwa served the letter on Twitter, saying he had no other option since that was the means through which Ezekwesili’s lawyer wrote to him.
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