By Amah
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Prof Charles Soludo, the Anambra State Governor, and his wife, Dr. Nonye Soludo, have turned down the apology rendered to them by Senator Uche Ekwunife, Deputy Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, after accusing the governor’s wife of infidelity.
The Soludos rejected the apology, saying it lacked credibility since it did not emanate directly from her.
A statement by Soludo’s Senior Special Assistant on New Media, Mazi Ejimofor Opara on said the the apology is yet “another unsubstantiated social media gossip,” adding that Governor Soludo would treat it as non-existent even as he insists on a clear retraction of the offending comments directly from Ekwunife.
The statement, titled: “Sen. Ekwunife’s Purported Apology: Another Fabrication Fit for the Waste Bin,” argued that the unsigned press release said to have come from the “Ekwunife Campaign Organization” was suspicious, misleading, and inadequate.
“There is no such campaign body since Ekwunife’s ticket is a joint one with the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra.
“The publication purporting to be an apology for the defamatory statements made against the Governor and his wife personally by Senator Ekwunife does not appear to have emanated from the Senator herself, given that her defamatory statements were made directly via recorded video and leaked audio conversation.”
The statement insisted on direct retraction from Ekwunife, via the same media through which the offensive remarks were made.
“The so-called apology never referenced Madam Ekwunife’s initial video and audio but instead focused on an unsigned article,” Opara added.
“This only points to her complicity, directly or indirectly, as the source of the article. It implies that no genuine apology was intended or tendered.”
Ekwunife had allegedly defamed Soludo and his wife, resulting in the issuance of a 72 hour-ultimatum by the governor’s wife demanding that Ekwunife tenders an apology or face legal action.
The statement also recalled that the First Lady, Dr. Nonye Soludo, had earlier challenged Senator Ekwunife to clear herself on two issues: first, to swear an oath before the Blessed Sacrament, affirming fidelity to her marriage; and second, to subject her children to a DNA test, alongside the Soludos’ own children, to disprove infidelity allegations.
“Any contrite apology must follow a personal and direct retraction of her defamatory statements. Slander or libel directly made by an individual cannot be vicariously dismissed by any agent or proxy,” the statement contended
