Despite N1.5b Suit Against Him, Deji Continues Attacks on Obi

In a bold defiance of a high-stakes legal action, social commentator and activist Deji Adeyanju has launched a fresh verbal assault on former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, less than 24 hours after being formally served with a ₦1.5 billion defamation lawsuit.

The escalating war of words between the prominent politician and the outspoken critic has captivated the nation’s political scene, raising questions about the limits of political commentary and the legal recourse for damaged reputation.

The legal battle was formally initiated by Mr. Obi through his legal team, led by Alex Ejesieme (SAN), at the High Court of Anambra State, Onitsha Judicial Division. The suit, with the number FHC/0/254/25, marks a significant escalation in Obi’s response to what he describes as a sustained campaign of character assassination.

According to the writ of summons, dated October 3, 2025, and served at Adeyanju’s residence in Wuse II, Abuja, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate is seeking substantial financial and punitive relief. The claims include:

· ₦500 Million in aggravated and exemplary damages for what Obi terms Adeyanju’s “reckless, malicious and persistent course of conduct.”
· ₦1 Billion in general damages for the “harm, ridicule, odium, emotional distress, and reputational injury” suffered.
· A court order for Adeyanju to publish a full and unequivocal apology across his social media platforms and in three national newspapers.
· A perpetual injunction restraining Adeyanju and his agents from further publishing defamatory statements against him.
· Litigation costs and an 18% annual interest on the judgment sum until it is fully liquidated.

Obi’s statement of claim categorically labels Adeyanju’s numerous social media posts as “false, baseless, malicious, scandalous, and defamatory.” He specifically cited being called a “religious bigot,” “fraud,” “political prostitute,” “scum,” and “leader of a mob” as statements that have severely tarnished his reputation both within Nigeria and internationally.

Rather than retreating in the face of the legal action, Adeyanju doubled down on his allegations. Taking to his social media handle on Thursday, he posted a scathing message that directly challenged the basis of Obi’s tenure in Anambra State.

“He didn’t change Anambra trajectory in 8yrs. All he did was pack state resources into a bank he had interest in. A fraudster extraordinaire,” Adeyanju wrote.

Deji’s fresh attack followed Obi recent promise that he can change Nigeria’s current economic situation within four years.

This latest attack echoes comments he made during a recent, no-holds-barred interview on Channels Television, where he dared Obi to “do his worst,” confidently asserting that “the truth remains a valid defence in any defamation case.”

In that interview, Adeyanju had levelled several explosive allegations, including a claim that Obi attempted to offer him money during the buildup to the 2023 general elections—an offer he says he rejected. He also launched a broadside against Obi’s supporters, the “Obidients,” accusing them of unprecedented toxicity.

“Obidient mobs became practically uncontrollable. They threatened judges, harassed artists, insulted Prof. Wole Soyinka, and attacked anyone who criticised Obi. We had never seen such toxicity in Nigerian politics except under Buhari,” he stated.

On Obi’s political integrity, Adeyanju was equally unsparing: “He is a political fraud, parading himself as a messiah. Didn’t he swear never to leave APGA? Yet he left. Today, he has one leg in PDP, another in ADC, and still in Labour Party. That’s a political prostitute.”

This case is poised to become a landmark defamation suit in Nigeria, pitting the right to free speech against the right to protect one’s reputation. While Adeyanju appears to be banking on a defence of truth and public interest, Obi’s legal team is presenting a case of malicious falsehood designed to destroy his client’s hard-earned public standing.

The court has yet to announce a date for the first hearing, but the case is already generating intense public debate. As the proceedings unfold, all eyes will be on the High Court in Onitsha to see whether the gavel of the judiciary can silence the megaphone of social media polemics.