Controversial former Nigerian minister
of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kanyode, has
threatened to reveal details of his past
private relationship with Nigeria’s
ambassador to Spain, Bianca Odumegwu-
Ojukwu after the ambassador rejected
his apologies in several newspaper
withdrawing earlier claims they had a
romantic past.
Mrs. Ojukwu through her lawyers had
ordered the minister to withdraw claims
made in article that he had intimate
relations with her several years ago. Shortly
after receiving the lagal threats, Fani-
Kayode went on to issue an apology, asking
to remove the word “intimate” from the
claims made relating to Bianca and two
other ladies.
However, Mrs. Ojukwu rejected the
apologies claiming they were not sufficient,
she thereafter threatened to institute a
lawsuit to seek redress.
The latest legal threat might have prompted
Fani-Kayode to issue a statement today
daring Mrs. Ojukwu to put the matter
before the courts.
In the statement , signed by his personal
assistant, reproduced below, Mr. Fani-
Kayode threatened to expose the
ambassador and put the details of their
past relationship in the public domain.
See full text of Mr. Fani-Kayode’s press
release.
”We read the comments of the P.A. to Mrs.
Bianca Ojukwu in the Sun Newspaper of 9th
September and in a number of other
newspapers where she expressed the view
that the withdrawal of the comments made
about her by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode were
”not enough”. We really do wonder what
Mrs. Ojukwu really wants from Chief Fani-
Kayode and what her agenda really is?
Throughout this matter Chief Fani-Kayode
has chosen the path of peace and has
attempted to avoid an ugly and public
quarrel with Bianca Ojukwu out of respect
to the memory of her late father Chief C.C.
Onoh and the memory of her late husband,
Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu .
Consequently he has publicly apologised to
her and the two other igbo ladies that he
mentioned in the said article (namely Miss
Chioma Ansoh and Miss Adaobi Ucgegbu)
on two separate occasions, in three
separate national newspapers and online.
He has has also publicly withdrawn the
words that they found offensive, he has
edited the said article, he has ensured that
no newspaper in Nigeria that published it
mentioned their names in the revised
version, he has admitted that the word
”intimate” that was used in the online
version of the article was ”indiscreet” and
he has bent over backwards to tread the
path of peace and to appease all those
concerned. Despite all these efforts Bianca
Ojukwu has refused to be appeased or to
let go and she has continued to peddle the
shameless lie that she has never met Chief
Fani-Kayode.
This is sad and unfortunate and it is
beyond the imagination of anyone that a
serving Ambassador of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria would so readily and so easily be
given to telling such lies. Chief Fani-Kayode
is not comfortable with publicly joining
issues with ladies when it comes to matters
of a private nature such as this because he
was well brought up and he is a gentleman
but it is clear that Bianca Ojukwu is
desperate to go to war over this issue and
to cover up the truth about their past. It is
also clear that she has constituted herself
into the arrowhead of a group of people
that are determined to use her and this
whole unsavoury episode to attempt to
distract attention from the wider and more
important issues raised in the essay and to
discredit him.
Since that is the case we welcome whatever
action Ojukwu wishes to take in court and
we shall gladly meet her there. We will also
be instigating our own legal proceedings
against her in due course for her barefaced
and malicious lies and her consistent claim
that she has never met Chief Fani-Kayode
all in an attempt to libel, defame, diminish
and discredit him before the entire world.
We wish to state clearly and categorically
that not only did Chief Fani-Kayode know
her but he also knew her far better than
she cares to publicly admit. The precise
nature of that relationship will be explored
and exposed in open court. It is not in the
nature of Chief Fani-Kayode to fight
unnecessary and distractive battles over
flippant matters such as this but on this
occasion he has been compelled to do so
simply because he will do whatever it takes
to protect his integrity and establish the
fact that he has told no lie.
Since she has continued her shameless
perfidy and wishes to tread the path of
deceit and confrontation then so be it.
Finally let it be clearly understood that at
no point did Chief Fani-Kayode lie about
the nature of his relationship with Ojukwu.
However he did not feel that it was
appropiate or necessary to share the
details of that relationship with the public
because he felt that such matters were
strictly private.
The fact that she mistook his mature
exercise of restraint and discretion, even
when provoked and insulted, his desire for
peace and his gentlemanly nature for
weakness is not only unfortunate but also a
grave miscalculation on her part. Once
again we reiterate the fact that we counsel
Ojukwu to take whatever course of action
she pleases and we welcome this
opportunity to expose her for what she is.
The matter has been referred to our
lawyers for final preparation. They will
prepare a vigorous defence to Ojukwu’s
absurd allegations and they will also
determine our next line of action against
her”.
Mr. Tosin Emmanuel, p.a. to Chief Femi
Fani-Kayode.
Source: Sahara Reporters
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