Nigerian Police Rearrested Labour Party Supporter, Nnamdi Chude after Defamation Suit by Businessman, Emeka Offor

The Nigeria Police Force has rearrested social media influencer and Labour Party supporter, Nnamdi Chude over alleged criminal defamation.

His rearrest is connected to a tweet on his Twitter handle in which he claimed that an Anambra businessman, Chief Emeka Offor, had been engaged by Nigerian 'president-elect' Bola Tinubu to beg Peter Obi to accept the result of the February 25 presidential election.

The tweet read: "So @officialBAT called Emeka Offor to beg Peter Obi to accept the rigged result.

"If he is sure the people voted for APC and he won the election, why is he running around pleading with everyone to help beg Peter Obi to accept the result?"

Tinubu who contested on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi came second and third respectively.

SaharaReporters had reported that the police in March arrested Chude and released him some days later.

Sequel to the allegation, the businessman, Offor sued him for alleged criminal defamation which has reportedly been found as a perfect ground to put him out of the social media space, a police source told SaharaReporters.

Chude was arrested and detained on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, efforts to speak with the spokesman for the Force Headquarters, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi were unsuccessful as he did not answer calls.

He also did not reply to a text message sent to his number at press time.

SaharaReporters had reported that Chude was released on March 24, 2023, after spending days in detention.

He was then arrested by the Cyber Crime Unit of Interpol and taken to Abuja on the evening of Saturday, March 18.

His arrest came shortly after he likened Governor Charles Soludo’s government to the administration of former governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, which fuelled speculations that the Anambra State government was behind his arrest.

While the State House of Assembly election was going on in the state on Saturday, Chude tweeted that thugs allegedly operating under the directive of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) - Governor Soludo's political party, were on a rampage, snatching ballot boxes and disrupting elections in 3'3 and Awada areas of the state.

After the tweet, he was reportedly arrested at around 5:30 p.m. by security operatives and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Awka from where he was taken to Abuja.