Embattled Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, who was recently seen on video clips allegedly collecting millions of dollars from a contractor, has slammed a N3 billion lawsuit on the man behind the publication of the said video, Jaafar Jaafar, publisher of Daily Nigerian newspaper.
Mr. Ganduje sued the publisher for alleged defamation, praying the court to declare that “the act of publishing and circulating libelous statements, false and doctored video clips attacking and impugning the character and integrity of the plaintiff amounts to defamation of character of the character plaintiff by the defendants and thus wrongful.”
Counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Nuruddeen Ayagi urged the court to declare that unqualified imputation of theft, fraud, corruption and dishonesty which are all criminal offenses by the defendant’s publication against the plaintiff without any conviction by a court of law, is slanderous, libelous, injurious and wrongful.
He is therefore, on behalf of hhis client, seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further publishing the said defamatory story and sharing the said doctored video clips howsoever to whichever type of audience.
And “an order compelling the defendant to pay the plaintiff the sum of N3, 000,000,000 ( Three Billion Naira) as damages for the defamation of the plaintiff character and standing.
“An order compelling the defendants to write a public apology to the plaintiff and broadcast such apology through their online platforms and news media with global accessibility.”
In an affidavit sworn at the High Court registry, Kano and attached to the writ of summons, the governor stated that as royal prince of Ganduje village and seasoned administrator, he has never been accused or indicted for fraud or any other corrupt practices.
“As a responsible senior citizen, the publications of the defendants have hurt my image, impugned my character and lowered my esteem in the estimation of all reasonable persons,” he added.
Noteworthy is that Mr. Ganduje has used court injunctions to prevent the Kano State House of Assembly from getting to the bottom of the bribery allegations. The state legislature had constituted a seven-man investigative panel to probe the bribery allegations against the governor. But at least two court injunctions obtained by Ganduje, who claims he has done nothing wrong, has halted that investigation.
Meanwhile, last week the contractor behind the videos showing Governor Ganduje, allegedly taking bribes in dollars has said he is ready to testify before the panel.
The contractor, known as the “whistleblower”, signified his readiness in a letter sent to the chairman of the investigative panel, through his lawyer, Saeed Twada.
Rather than submit himself to probe and prove his innocence, Governor Ganduje may now, with this suit, be seeking to compound the matter.
CHECKPOINTCHARLEY sees the governor’s action as putting the cart before the horse. The talk of defamation could only arise if, after the panel was allowed to do their job, it later emerged that the allegation is false.
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