I’m not working for Obaseki — ex-INEC staff

I’m not working for Obaseki — ex-INEC staff


A former director in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, yesterday, denied allegations levelled against him by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State that he is working in cahoots with Governor Godwin Obaseki to rig the September 19 governorship election in the state.


Similarly, INEC debunked the APC allegations which it described as baseless and assured of its impartiality in the election.

Chairman of the APC Media Campaign Council, John Mayaki, had accused the former Director of Publicity, Voter Education, Gender and Civil Society Liaison in INEC, Osaze-Uzzi, of working as a private consultant to the governor to access sensitive information at the Commission.

But Osaze-Uzzi, in a letter from his lawyers, Ahmed Raji & Co, demanded a retraction to be published within 72 hours in four national papers, including Vanguard.


He also demanded monetary damages of N500 million.

Osaze-Uzzi’s letter, dated 24th August 2020, was addressed to Mayaki and signed by Ahmed Raji SAN and Alex Ejesieme SAN.

Part of the letter reads; “We are solicitors to Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, whom we shall henceforth refer to as our client. It is upon his brief and instruction that we write this letter to you.

“Our Client’s attention has been drawn to a widely circulated and damaging publication titled: PDP plans rigging using retired INEC Staff and Obaseki’s Cousin, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, which was published on your blog: https://www.johnmayaki.com/pdp-plans- rigging-using-retired-INEC-salt-and-obaseki-cousin-Olu Wole-osaze-uzzi and several other prints and online media. The said publication was also circulated on various social media platforms, particularly Whatsapp and Facebook.

“The initial disposition of Our Client was to ignore the said falsehood and campaign of calumny, given the didactic provision of the Holy Bible in Proverbs 26:4, and to consider such as a frenetic dance of a lunatic in the market place, which is an interesting spectacle to behold. However, for the sake of posterity, and for his silence not to be misconstrued as admission, our Client saw a need to react, relying on a latter provision of the Holy Bible in Proverbs 26:5.


“Our Client denies the entirety of the falsehood contained in the said publication and states that there is no iota of truth in the fictitious allegations, as made by yourself or any other person acting through you. It is clear, and as a matter of fact, that Our Client, a renowned legal practitioner and an excellent public officer, has an unblemished record in the various capacities he has served. Since his employment, his competence, character, or integrity was never questioned, as he delivered without bias or favour. It is therefore ridiculous that your spurious allegations came at this moment.


“It is our client’s conviction that the said publication, in which you made false and scandalous allegations against him, was a calculated plot to demean, ridicule, humiliate and embarrass him, by the estimation of every right-thinking member of the society.