The Justice had ordered
Onyeka to pay Okoroji the sum of N5m as well as tender a public apology.
But Onwenu says that the
verdict was not fair and that she would appeal.
Music legend and immediate
past Director-General of the National Center for Women Development, Onyeka
Onwenu, has said she will neither apologised nor pay fine to Chief Tony
Okoroji.
The former DG was reacting
to the judgment delivered against her by a judge of the Ikeja High Court,
Justice I. O. Akinkugbe, in a suit instituted against her by Okoroji for
defamation of character.
“The judgment given by
Justice Akinkugbe is most unfair and cannot stand,” Onyeka told Sunday Scoop.
“Throughout the trial, the
plaintiff’s lawyer kept referring to the fact that I was a member of the
Peoples Democratic Party and my appointment to office as Director General of
the PDP but that I was serving under an APC Government.
“My lawyer raised an
objection as we did not think that my party affiliations had anything to do
with the case at hand. But the judge to our consternation allowed that line of
questioning.
“I am waiting to receive a
copy of the judgment, at which point I will have more to say. For now, I am
certain that this judgment cannot and will not hold based on the fact that we were
able dismiss the allegations convincingly and unequivocally. We are appealing
the judgement, of course.”
The Elegant Stallion as she
is fondly called, added that she also would not apologise as ordered by the
court.
“I will not apologise and I
will not pay any fine. I am guilty of nothing. We have a country where one is
allowed to pursue justice and, by God’s grace, justice will be served.
“If not by Justice
Akinkugbe, then certainly by an Appeal Court or even the Supreme Court of
Nigeria.”
“Mr. Tony Okoroji says a
lot of things but he does not mean them. I shall provide a full rebuttal of the
campaign of calumny that he is putting out against me in the aftermath of this
judgment and more shall be revealed. I hold no personal grudge against him, my
quarrels with him have always been on issues of probity and fair play.
“I have been very much
there for Okoroji for so long and in many more ways than I care to remember. I
respect his intellect and I’ve said so on many fora, but I will not stand by
and watch him attempt to destroy the very reputation that he has found and made
use of personally and officially in the past.
“Some of us left the
Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria for him to run aground,
in order to avoid his trouble. He is hoping we will do the same with regard to
the Copyright Society of Nigeria. That wish will not be granted.”
These people can settle out of court they are both iconic in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly did Onyeka did to him?
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