Alleged defamation: You’ve three days to apologise or be sued – Akpabio warns Pearse
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has threatened to sue a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos state, Adetokunbo Pearse, over what he described as false and defamatory statements made against him during a live broadcast on Arise Television.
Akpabio, in a demand letter dated October 7, 2025, and signed by his legal representatives, S. I. Ameh (SAN) & Co., alleged that Pearse made reckless and malicious comments intended to damage his reputation.
He ordered Pearse to issue a public apology and retraction within three days or face legal proceedings for defamation and criminal incitement.
The letter, titled “Demand for Immediate Retraction and Public Apology for Defamatory Publication Against Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON,” stated that during a political segment on Arise TV on October 4, 2025, Pearse made unsubstantiated allegations of corruption, manipulation, and criminality against the Senate President.
“If we get more women in the National Assembly and we have a Senate President like Akpabio, what is the point?
“The National Assembly we have now is a rubber-stamp assembly. Any president who wants to manipulate it can do so. And this one is actually manipulating it to the detriment of progress for Nigerians.
“Akpabio should not be President of the Senate. He’s a criminal; he shouldn’t be there. He has cases in the EFCC, millions that he stole when he was governor… If he has criminal cases, let him go and answer them. There’s no way a man like that should be there in the first place,” Pearse had said.
The Senate President’s legal team described the comments as false in every material particular, stating that the remarks were made with total disregard for the truth and in bad faith.
They argued that the statements were intended to portray their client as a corrupt and dishonest politician, thereby exposing him to public ridicule and hatred.
According to the letter, the broadcast and its subsequent circulation on social media caused the Senate President grave reputational injury, emotional distress, and embarrassment, and also undermined public confidence in the leadership of the Senate.
“Our client finds these assertions deeply offensive, defamatory, and malicious.They portray him as a criminal, corrupt politician, misogynist, and manipulator of democratic institutions — all of which are entirely untrue,” part of the letter read.