Jarrett Tenebe, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, has rebuffed allegations of defamation against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, asserting that he will not issue an apology for his statements.
On December 10, Tenebe was featured in a viral video where he accused Ighodalo of corruption and misappropriating state funds, following a blunder made by Governor Monday Okpebholo during the presentation of the N605 billion budget estimates to the Edo House of Assembly.
Tenebe claimed that both the former Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and Ighodalo would not have made such an error if they had not embezzled substantial sums of money.
In response to these allegations, Ighodalo, through his legal representatives, demanded a public apology and retraction of Tenebe’s statements regarding the alleged theft of public funds within seven days, threatening further legal action if his demands were not met.
However, Tenebe, through his lawyer, Blessing Agbomhere, issued a statement in Abuja stating that he did not defame Ighodalo and sees no reason to apologize or retract his comments, insisting they were warranted.
Agbomhere stated, “We want to clarify that our client did not defame your client in any manner, and therefore, there is no necessity for a public apology or retraction of the remarks made in the mentioned video.
“Should your client choose to escalate this matter by pursuing legal action, we will defend our position based on the findings of the Edo State Vehicle Recovery Committee, which implicated your client, as well as the preliminary report from the Edo State Asset Verification Committee.”
