Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has initiated legal action against Hon. Barr. Eze Chikamnayo, also known as Iyierioba Chikamnayo, demanding a written retraction, a public apology, and a substantial sum of N100 billion as compensation. This demand stems from a series of what the Governor's legal team describes as 'defamatory and malicious' publications made by Chikamnayo on his Facebook account.

In a formal letter dated October 2, 2025, and signed by his counsel, Dr. Sonny Ajala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) from Deeplaw Associates, Governor Otti accused Chikamnayo of persistently posting “unjustified demonic online defamatory posts” on his Facebook page, titled “Iyierioba Chikamnayo.” The legal notice specifically cited several offensive posts, including those captioned “Alex Otthief is a confirmed criminal and disaster!” published on September 22, 2025, and “Fighting Promax!!!!” from September 21, 2025.

Further examples of the alleged libelous attacks included posts such as “Old or new Abia?” shared on September 14, 2025, “Sabbath Message” on September 13, 2025, and “Alex Otthief is a confirmed criminal and congenital liar = looting governor!” dated August 15, 2025. Dr. Ajala emphasized that Governor Alex Chioma Otti is uniquely identifiable as the Chief Executive of a state within Nigeria, making any attempt to link disparaging remarks to him, whether directly or through caricature or other literary devices, unambiguous to the public.

The SAN further asserted Governor Otti’s unblemished integrity, highlighting his distinguished career in the banking sector where he rose to become the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Diamond Bank Plc before transitioning into politics. The letter detailed how Governor Otti became aware of the defamatory posts on September 29, 2025, while attending the conferment ceremony for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on Abia State’s Attorney-General in Abuja. It was there that his attention was drawn to Chikamnayo’s Facebook wall, revealing what was described as “a cocktail of disparaging publications calculated to instigate public hatred against him.”

In the communication, Dr. Ajala unequivocally stated that his client “unequivocally denies in their entirety your malicious defamatory materials published online,” asserting that Governor Otti “has no criminal indictment whatsoever or conviction by any court of law and thus declares unequivocally that the content of your online publications generally and specifically… as blatant falsehood.” The SAN contended that Chikamnayo’s actions have inflicted “unquantifiable mental torture, depression, denigration, brutal destruction of his reputation built over the decades” and have “utterly disfigured and diminished our client’s standing in the eyes and estimation of right-thinking persons.”

Governor Otti's specific demands include a written retraction of all defamatory posts, which must be published on Chikamnayo's Facebook wall and in four prominent national newspapers: ThisDay, Punch, The Nation, and National Ambassador Newspapers. Additionally, a written apology is required to be published on the same Facebook wall, along with the N100 billion compensation for the damage to his reputation. The legal demands conclude with an undertaking from Chikamnayo to cease any further defamatory publications against the Governor.