24-Hour Deadline: Olopele Esq. Demands Apology for Daniel’s “Defamatory” Comments

Konstante Olopele Esq., a legal practitioner and human rights activist, addresses Mr. Ezekiel Daniel, the former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Delta State Governor, regarding alleged defamatory comments made against him on social media. In the letter, Olopele demands a public apology and retraction of the defamatory statements, warning that failure to comply will result in a One Billion Naira Defamation Suit. 

The open letter reads in full below:

To:

Mr. Ezekiel Daniel,

Former SSA to the Governor of Delta State,

Sapele,

Delta State.

Sir,

RE: CHARLATAN KONSTANTE OLOPELE LACKS MORAL RIGHT TO CRITICIZE TOMPOLO

A DEMAND FOR PUBLIC APOLOGY AND IMMEDIATE RETRACTION OF YOUR ABOVE DEFAMATORY/LIBELOUS STATEMENTS PUBLISHED AGAINST MY PERSON

My attention has been drawn to the above post on social media platforms credited to you, wherein you brazenly and willfully described me and my status as a charlatan and charge-and-bail lawyer. You published those offensive words and others against my person in reaction to my recent fair comment and advice to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (a.k.a. Tompolo) not to be, or serve as, a spokesman to the Federal Government on his recent comments praising President Tinubu and begging Nigerians not to embark on the planned nationwide protest coming off on August 1, 2024.

Your choice of words is blindingly defamatory and libelous against my person and has resultantly lowered my person and hard-earned professional reputation in the eyes of every reasonable man in society, which act of yours is very wrongful and unlawful. Very unfortunate, indeed!

For the record, be it known to you that, obviously, my piece/comment was fair on Chief Tompolo being a respected figure, patriot, and ex-warlord, whose participation in similar agitations against the Nigerian Government, like the imminent nationwide agitation/protest against the excesses and inadequacies of the government, brought about the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme which has impacted lives and brought relative peace to the Niger Delta as a whole. I never insulted, and will never insult, the person of our revered Chief Tompolo in my write-ups, but it was a piece of advice I offered with respect—believing he (Tompolo), who operates in the private, was not expected to have pleaded to Nigerians on behalf of the Federal Government not to embark on a protest when things are not going the right way. A protest devoid of violence and destruction is legitimate, and it is a constitutional right that enures to every Nigerian. Any other person can issue such a piece of advice to Tompolo as I have done. You suddenly came into the picture with your verbal attacks and defamed my person in such magnitude undeservedly.

Therefore, I hereby demand that you forthwith withdraw the defamatory/libelous statements and words you published against my person, some of which are: “Charlatan Barrister Konstante Olopele” and “Charge-and-bail lawyer.” Also, you are to tender an unreserved and unbridled public apology to me using the same social media platforms not later than 24 hours of your receipt of this letter of demand.

TAKE NOTICE that failure in your so doing, I shall be left with no other option than to activate legal action by filing a One Billion Naira Defamation Suit against you before a Court of competent jurisdiction, and also compel you with an Order of Court to tender the public apology to me in over 5 National Dailies in Nigeria. Advisedly, you may hire the services of lawyers of your choice to defend yourself, for it is your constitutional right to do so. Do not see my demand here as a threat, whatsoever.

A stitch in time saves nine.

Yours faithfully,

……………………………………..

Olopele Konstante, Esq.,

Akure,

Ondo State.