Pastor Tunde Bakare the serving Overseer of Latter Rain Assembly has threatened drag the editor of newswirengr.com to court if he fails to retract a false,libelous and injurious story against him; and also apologize within seven days.
Bakare’s Solicitors,Tope Adebayo LLP in a letter to the editor said “We demand that you forthwith (toe) the (path) of honour by retracting the publication and apologizing to our client on your blog.
“Take Notice that in the event that you fail, neglect or refuse to comply with the above demand within seven (7) days of receipt of this letter, we will have no alternative but to explore the attendant instruction of our client to immediately commence legal action against you for torts of defamation and injurious falsehood, without further recourse to you.
Stating the background to the letter,Ferdinard Olufemi who signed for the solicitors Tope Adebayo LLP Legal Practitioners and Arbitrators said “Our instruction is that on the 9 February, 2014 you published or caused to be published on your online blog (http://newswirengr.com) that our client disparaged the All Progressive Congress (APC) and some of its Governors in the following words, viz
“Pastor Tunde Bakare, a fierce critic of the Nigerian government and the General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly has likened the leading opposition party, All Progressives Congress to the Church of Satan in a parable.
In his sermon to the church congregation, the former Vice Presidential candidate under the Congress for Progressive Change, urged Nigerians to be wary of the coming together of the APC members whom he described as “Pen Robbers”.
He said “APC is like a newly opened church of Satan with the evil as a Pastor which could not be distinguished by Nigerians from a true living Godly Church and hence could be mistaken for a real Church, even when it was made of thieves (Legitimate Pen Robbers).
Bakare who contested the last elections with Gen. Muhammadu Buhari said the governors of the opposition party ganged up against Local Government fiscal Autonomy using crumbs from stolen accumulated wealth to bribe their thievery colleagues at Federal and State house of Assembly.
He said, “It is very clear that 5 Governors of APC in the west is far richer than their state and they have looted every penny from their state purse. People should be careful of this Rogues’.
According to the solicitors,”The publication was made of and concerning the person of our client. The alleged statement you credited to have been made by our client was not at any time made by our client or at all.
“Your publication which has been shared on other online news platforms and social medias has no shred of truth. It is malicious, offensive and intended to disparage our client and cause him embarrassment and public condemnation. It is also intended to make our client lose the confidence of informed Nigerians who are undaunted in their solidarity to democracy in Nigeria. You represented our Client as having insinuated that the members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) are evil people and a group of bandits whose sole mission is to loot the state treasury.
Your publication depicted our client as one who likes stirring up controversies by pulling down others.
The solicitors stated further that “The aforestated publication has grossly lowered the reputation of our client in the estimation of right-thinking members of the Nigerian society and the world in general. It has equally exposed our client, to public odium and ridicule. Our client has been inundated with calls and text messages by friends and associates who are perturbed by the publication.
“Our client has consistently built his political and personal life around Biblical truth and the philosophy that espouses peaceful approach to social and political change.
“He has never hidden from speaking the truth and has always been in the forefront of the fight against injustice and bad governance in Nigeria.
Click here to download Bakare’s letter to the editor
