Coup Allegation: Your ‘regret’ not enough, apologise to Atiku, Military – Shaibu to Fani-Kayode

The Director of Special Projects and New media of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Femi Fani-Kayode has been asked to tender an unreserved public apology to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Nigeria Military.

According to the Special Assistant, Public Communication to Atiku, Phrank Shaibu, this is to ensure that Fani-Kayode is truly remorseful of his self-confessed lie that Atiku met with army generals with the aim of executing a coup against the democratically elected government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Recall that the Department of State Services (DSS) had on Monday grilled Fani-Kayode for six hours following a series of tweets wherein he claimed that Atiku had met with some army generals in a bid to perpetrate a coup.

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After his release by the DSS, Fani-Kayode stated at a press conference that he regretted making the comments and he would guard his statements in the future.

But in a statement to Naija News, Shaibu said Fani-Kayode’s “regret” was not enough without a public apology issued to Atiku and the military.

He said, “Fani-Kayode’s regret is a step in the right direction, but this is not sufficient. Who exactly is he apologising to? He needs to be specific. He needs to apologise to Waziri Atiku Abubakar for trying to impugn his character. He also needs to apologise to the military for denigrating that revered institution.

“Fani-Kayode is a former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with over two million followers across social media platforms. He is a lawyer and ought to understand the implication of libel. Apart from the criminal aspect of his tweets, he has also committed defamation and thus must be made to apologise for his inane insinuations.”

Criminal Defamation

He demanded that Fani-Kayode’s public apology to Atiku should be published in three newspapers, including The Nation and their online editions for seven days consecutively beginning from Wednesday, 15 February, 2023.

Shaibu said Fani-Kayode has a penchant for making specious allegations but has been treated like a sacred cow for too long, which has emboldened him over the years.

Atiku’s aide served notice that if Fani-Kayode fails to tender a public apology for criminally defaming Atiku, he may need to offer explanation in the court of law.