The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has filed a N1.5 billion defamation suit against Abuja-based lawyer and rights activist, Deji Adeyanju.
The lawsuit, instituted at the High Court of Anambra State in Onitsha, comes months after Obi first issued a legal threat in August over alleged defamatory statements made by Adeyanju on social media.
Obi’s decision to sue follows Adeyanju’s earlier legal action against one of Obi’s aides, Serah Ibrahim, whom he accused of defaming his wife.
In response to Obi’s threat at the time, Adeyanju dismissed it with mockery in a Facebook post.
A consistent critic of Obi and his political aspirations, Adeyanju has repeatedly asserted that the former governor would never become Nigeria’s president. He has also clashed regularly with Obi’s supporters, popularly known as “Obidients,” over his critical online remarks.
In the writ of summons dated October 3, Obi is seeking multiple declaratory and injunctive reliefs against Adeyanju. He accuses the lawyer of making “false, baseless, unfounded, malicious, reckless, scandalous, and defamatory” statements against him across platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
According to the suit, Adeyanju is required to enter an appearance within 42 days of service or risk judgment being entered in default.
Obi is asking the court to declare that Adeyanju’s publications on his verified social media accounts are defamatory and harmful to his reputation. He is also seeking an order mandating Adeyanju to publish a full and unreserved apology across his social media handles and in at least three national newspapers, as well as on major television and online platforms including Channels TV, TVC News, and Arise News.
The LP candidate is also requesting that all defamatory posts be retracted and deleted—specifically those labeling him as a “religious bigot,” “fraud,” “political prostitute,” and other derogatory terms.
Additionally, Obi is praying the court for a perpetual injunction restraining Adeyanju from further publishing any defamatory content about him.
The former governor is demanding N500 million in aggravated or exemplary damages for what he described as “reckless and malicious” defamation, along with N1 billion in general damages for reputational harm, ridicule, and emotional distress. He is also seeking reimbursement for legal and professional fees incurred in pursuing the case, with an added interest of 18 percent per annum on the judgment sum until it is paid.
Adeyanju confirmed receipt of the court summons in a Facebook post last Friday.
“Finally, Peter Obi has sued me. I am actually happy and relieved that he didn’t chicken out in the end. Interestingly, he dragged me all the way to Anambra State, even though he is almost always in Abuja where I reside.
“But no shaking, we move. I will prove in court that Peter Obi is corrupt, a bigot, and a fraud. You will all be entertained, I promise,” he wrote.
The case has sparked widespread reactions online and is expected to raise critical questions about freedom of speech, defamation law, and the limits of political commentary in Nigeria’s digital space.
