The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last Edo State governorship election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, has filed a defamatory suit seeking N500 million in damages against the Acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Jarret Tenebe.

In the writ of summons marked LD/ADR/5731/2025 and filed at the High Court of Lagos, Ighodalo also sought a declaration that all the statements made by the defendant (Tenebe) in the defamatory video published and circulated online on December 10, 2024, amount to defamation.

Ighodalo also prayed the court to order Tenebe to issue a letter of apology to him within seven days of the delivery of judgment.

Other claims sought by Ighodalo include a declaration that the statements made by the defendant in an interview with TMC TV/Radio on December 17, 2024, to the effect that the claimant (Ighodalo) is a thief, amount to defamation.

He also prayed for an order directing the defendant to retract the defamatory statements contained in the video published and circulated online, as well as those on TMC TV/Radio, by publishing a retraction statement on all platforms where the defamatory statements were published.

Ighodalo, a former Chairman of Sterling Bank Plc, Dangote Flour Mills Plc, and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), had filed the suit against Tenebe for allegedly making false and damaging statements in a widely circulated video of December 10, 2024.

Ighodalo, through his lawyers, said, “The primary objective of procuring the publication of the defamatory video was to tarnish our client’s reputation.

“Since the publication of the defamatory video, our client has received numerous calls from professional colleagues, business partners, and other well-meaning Nigerians, locally and in the Diaspora, inquiring as to the propriety of the allegations.

“Undoubtedly, this development has exposed our client to great distress, hurt, and humiliation.”