Prince Jimmy Adekanle popularly known as JAF, an Irele born Ondo State indigene based in Canada has petitioned the State first Lady, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu to as a matter of urgency retract and apologise for calling him a rapist.

Adekanle through his lawyer, Barr. Tolu Babaleye demanded the apology in a three pages letter dated 28th May 2020.

It could be recalled that there was a social media heat up between the duo (Adekanle and Mrs Akeredolu) on facebook last week whereby she referred to Adekanle as a ‘rapist’ and a ‘mortuary attendant’.

Tolu Babaleye in the letter said his client has been exposed mental agony and psychological trauma as he has been inundated with phone calls from his fnends, family and other members of the public associated with him, demanding explanation and clarification from him on the said defamatory statement.

Adekanle however, demanded that the apology be made within the next seven days unless a full legal action be taken against the first lady.

According to the letter, the apology should be posted on her facebook page and published in reputable national dailies circulating within the State.

The letter further stated that if Mrs Akeredolu refused to apologise to him, he will approach the court to seek redress and claim delibitating damages from the governor’s wife.

Excerpt from the letter:

1. That sometime in early May, 2020, you made a Facebook Video in which you claimed to have just returned to Ondo State from lmo State where you have been hibernating since the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic (COVID 19) in Nigeria.

2. That on watching the said video, our Client felt agitated and criticized you for coming to Ondo State at this time as that can aid the spread of the life threatening disease to Innocent citizens of the State specially Women that came to greet you for the Sallah celebration because of the exalted position of First Lady you currently occupied in Ondo State.

3. That based on the criticism of your activities of our Client which is intandem with the mood of the Nation, you did a post on your Facebook page wherein you called out our Client and called him many unprintable names and also labeled him as a Rapist.

4. That Your Excellency in the said publications defamed our Client in the following manner:

“…shut the hell up. You are still talking. Canada Iresivist. This has entered in Ondo State social lexicon. I even heard that you are a sex offender and you ran away to Canada. Shame on you! Come back. Police is waiting for you. And my office is after scumbag: like you. “

5. That your act of committing defamation on our client continues in your own words as follows:

“You are in real trouble. Arabinrin has no Mercy for rapists like you. Jail term awaits you. FAKE HUMAN IRESIVIST. Ehnn, That rice (or political appointment) from Ondo State; you are eyeing, you no go smell it not to talk of eating it. Who born monkey?”

6. That Instead for Your Excellency to see the truth in our Client’s post about COVID 19 and do the needful by isolating your exalted self for 14 days as required and apologize to the People of Ondo State as rightly postulated by our Client for breaching National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) rules and regulations on COVID-19, Your Excellency resorted to name calling by describing our client in the following defamatory words ‘you are a mortuary attendant and a rapist who ought to be In jail.”

7. That the said defamatory words, which lack truth and justification in all ramifications, have exposed our Client to public odium, insult and ridicule and have lowered his reputation in the estimation of the right thinking members of the public.

8. Since your defamatory statement was issued against our client; our client has been inundated with phone calls from his friends, family and other members of the public associated with him, demanding explanation and clarification from him on the said defamatory statement, thereby exposing our client to mental agony and psychological trauma.

9. That our client is also apprehensive about his safety and the safety of his family as you are said to have been calling people at Irele to deal with our client for no just course. We are using this medium to inform you that the whole world is watching events as they unfold regarding this issue and we do believe that as the wife of Ondo State Governor, you will not take law into your hands in the ways and manners you deal with our client, his family left behind at Irele as far as this matter is concerned.

ln the light of the above, we hereby on behalf our client demand immediate retraction and withdrawal of the said defamatory statement against our Client which must be published in your Facebook wall and two (2) National Dailies circulating within the State. We equally demand for a profound and unreserved apology on behalf of our client through our office. The said apology must also be given the same prominence and circulation like the libelous publication in the Nation Newspapers, (both print and online version) within the period of seven (7) days after receipt of this letter.

TAKE NOTICE that should your Excellency fail, refuse or neglect to comply with our client’s demand within the stipulated time we shall be left with no other option than to take to the full instruction of our client by approaching the court to seek legal redress and claim delibitating damages for him and this we shall do without further notice to your Excellency.

In the same vein, a socio-cultural organisation made up of sons and daughters of Irele local government under the aegis of Irele Progressive Elites Association has urged Mrs. Akeredolu to be conscious of her actions and inactions on social media so that her image as the first lady and that of her husband the Governor will not be continually put into disrepute and shame.

This was contained in a statement co-signed by the President of the association, Adetuwo O. Adeola and
General-Secretary Dr. Afolabi Famakinwa titled ‘Jimmy Adekanle Remains Our Illustrious Son: Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu Has No Right To cast Aspersion On Him’.

The group that expressed disappointment and displeasure in the utterances of the Mrs. Akeredolu said they don’t see anything unusual behaviour in activism and agitation of their son, Jimmy Adekanle to have attracted such acidic and destructive utterances of a presumed mother, wife and sister in such a position of high responsible as wife of a sitting State Governor.

They stated that It’s very absurd and quite disgusting for Mrs. Akeredolu to come down personally on social media to cast aspersions on the person of Olujimi Adekanle (JAF) over issues of public concerns instead of making herself accountable in fulfillment of the first family social contract with the good people of Ondo State.Mrs.

The Association posited that the first lady went far above her constitutional rights addressing Adekanle as rapist and mortuary attendance. That Mrs. Akeredolu should know, as a wife of a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), that only the court of law can pronounce a person criminal or otherwise.

The statements read in parts:

JIMMY ADEKANLE REMAINS OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SON: BETTY ANYANWU-AKEREDOLU HAS NO RIGHT TO CAST ASPERSION ON HIM

Gentlemen of the Press.

We, members of Irele Progressive Elites Association deem it feat to virtually address you today, Monday 1st of June, 2020 on the burning issue on the impasse and media war currently going on between our illustrious son, JIMMY ADEKANLE and the wife of our governor, MRS. BETTY ANYANWU-AKEREDOLU.

We, as a socio-cultural organisation made up of sons and daughters of Irele local government area who are vested with the genuine zeal and pure love to develop our land of birth and her people by supporting her progress in the comity of area councils with our personal and collective resources.

We unequivocally wish to state thus;

1. That we don’t see anything unusual behaviour in activism and agitation of our son, Jimmy Adekanle to have attracted such acidic and destructive utterances of a presumed mother, wife and sister in such a position of high responsible as wife of a sitting State Governor.

2. Her Excellency must made to know that every youth in this country has similar story of rough route to the top as displayed in the struggling life of Mr. Adekanle which to the best of our knowledge, was never the young people making, but a clear indication of failed leadership from past leaders, and as it currently been manifested in the crop of leaders presently administering our dear Sunshine State.

3. It’s very absurd and and quite disgusting for Mrs. Akeredolu to come down personally on social media to cast aspersions on the person of Olujimi Adekanle (JAF) over issues of public concerns instead of making herself accountable in fulfillment of the first family social contract with the good people of Ondo State.

4. Mrs. Akeredolu went far above her constitutional rights addressing Adekanle as rapist and mortuary attendance. Do Mrs. Akeredolu not know, as a wife of a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) for that matter, that only the court of law can pronounce a person criminal or otherwise. So, which court convicted Mr. Olujimi Adekanle as a rapist to warrant Mrs. Akeredolu conclusion.

5. On the issue of the struggle for better life that took Mr. Adekanle out of his fatherland to a foreign land; Mrs. Akeredolu must realise that it was the destructive and maladministration of her class of leadership that warrant this kind of rough life for our young and agile youths, but Mrs. Akeredolu need to also know that life is not going to continue in this manner as light will surely appear at the end of the tunnel for people like our dear struggling JAF. If somebody like former governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi could publicly said he once worked as a mortuary attendance for several years in England, but came back to win elections to the Red Chambers of the National Assembly and Executive Governor of Oyo State, this is pointing to the fact that our own JAF will govern this state in no distance future by God grace.

6.Mrs. Akeredolu need to be remembered that Adekanle is a bonafide indigene of Ondo State and by that alone, need not be an activist before he gives his opinion about public issues in his state. It is therefore incumbent to tell the first lady that this is Ondo State and a Yoruba land.

7. Lastly, we urge and advice Her excellency to be conscious of her actions and inactions on social media so that her image as the first lady and that of her husband the Governor will not be continually put into disrepute and shame.

Thank you once again, Gentlemen of the Press.

Signed;
Adetuwo O. Adeola
President
Dr. Afolabi Famakinwa
General-Secretary