“MINISTERIAL nominee, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has gone to court to seek redress over a case of defamation of character by online newspapers, Sahara Reporters and Premium Times.
Joined in the suit are Punch Newspapers Ltd., Omoyele Sowore, Publisher of Sahara Reporters and Festus Owete, General Editor at Premium Times.
The defendants had published an audio recording of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, purportedly in a conversation with other individuals to rig the Ekiti State gubernatorial election, an allegation Senator Obanikoro and the others had since disclaimed.
In a suit filed at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, on Tuesday, February 10, 2015, Senator Obanikoro is suing the defendants for damages to the tune of N1 billion.
According to the suit filed on his behalf by Dr Yemi Oke of MJS Partners, Senator Obanikoro is seeking “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from publishing or causing to be published, either directly or indirectly, defamatory, damaging, offensive or degrading statements, articles and/or materials against the claimant.
“An order directing the defendant to jointly or severally pay to the claimant the sum of N1 billion, being damages for harm caused to his political, professional, business, social and institutional reputation, as a result of the defamation, by willful and scandalous publication of false statements by the defendants…”
The Nigerian Tribune has the full story.
