Bold Leap: Senator Chris Anyanwu Sues Former Governor Ohakim For Defamation
Senator Chris Anyanwu has initiated legal proceedings against the former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, at the FCT High Court, alleging that defamatory statements were made against her. The suit—filed on March 14, 2025—also names Vintage Press Limited, the owner of The Nation newspapers, as the second defendant.
Background and Allegations
According to the court filings obtained by The Whisperer on Friday, the claimant, Senator Anyanwu, stated that on the 2nd day of December, 2024, she launched her memoir, published in a book titled Bold Leap. In an interview with The Nation newspaper on the 12th day of January, 2025, the 1st defendant, while responding to questions and reacting to the content of her book, allegedly uttered words deemed defamatory about her. These statements were subsequently published on The Nation newspaper website by the defendants.
Anyanwu’s attention was drawn to the published interview, and she was reportedly taken aback, shocked, and embarrassed by its content. In response, she issued a press statement titled “I Dare Ohakim to Produce the Letter to Abacha”, in which she denied the falsehoods published by the defendants.
Further Developments
The claimant further averred that in response to her press statement, the 1st defendant issued and caused to be published a press release dated January 24, 2025, which contained additional falsehoods about her. She contends that these defamatory statements have exposed her to ridicule, contempt, and public odium, causing severe damage to her reputation, dignity, and social standing, as well as impacting her professional, political, and personal relationships. Furthermore, she claims to have suffered psychological, emotional, and material damage as a result.
On January 28, 2025, Senator Anyanwu wrote to Ohakim through her solicitors, imploring him to retract the damaging and false statements. However, according to the filings, he has declined to retract the statements, thereby compounding the harm done to her reputation.
Relief Sought
The claimant is asking the court for several declarations and orders, including:
• A declaration that the words uttered by the 1st defendant concerning the claimant in The Nation newspaper interview (published on January 12, 2025) are defamatory.
• A declaration that the words in the press release dated January 24, 2025, titled “Re: Bold Leap: Chris Anyanwu’s false narrative and letter of apology to Gen. Abacha”, and published by The Sun Newspapers, Daily Post Newspapers, The Niche News Blog, and The Naija News Blog, are defamatory.
• An order compelling the 1st defendant to retract the defamatory statements contained in the aforementioned press release and to publish an apology in a full-page advertisement in both The Sun and The Nation newspapers circulating in Nigeria.
Additionally, Senator Anyanwu is seeking damages for the harm to her reputation:
• N250 million in damages against the defendants for the defamatory statements published in the interview.
• N250 million in damages against Ohakim for the defamatory statements contained in the press release.
• N50 million to cover the cost of the legal action.
