Obasanjo
Former President
Olusegun Obasanjo has been restrained by a court in Abuja from
proceeding with plans to publish or have someone publish on his behalf, a
new autobiography, titled: My watch.
Justice Valentine Ashi of the High Court
of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, made the
order after listening to Alex Iziyon (SAN), who argued a motion ex-parte brought on behalf of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Buruji Kashamu.
Iziyon said the content of the book
related to issues contained in Obasanjo’s December 2, last year, letter
to President Goodluck Jonathan and former PDP National Chairman Bamanga
Tukur, where he (Obasanjo) claimed that Kashamu was a fugitive wanted in
the United States.
He contended that since the contents of
the letter was the subject of the libel suit his client filed against
Obasanjo, which was pending before the court, it was wrong for the
ex-president to be allowed to proceed to comment on, write books about
or make publications on the issue yet to be decided upon by the court.
Justice Ashi, in a ruling, restrained
Obasanjo from either publishing the book or having it published on his
behalf by anybody, pending the determination of the main suit pending
before the court.
“The defendant, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,
whether by himself, his agents, servants, privies or any other person
by whatever name called and howsoever described, is hereby restrained
from publishing or caused to be published in the yet to published book, ‘My watch’
or any autobiography or biography and any extracts of same, by whatever
name called or howsoever titled, pending the hearing and determination
of the motion on notice hereof,” Justice Ashi said.
The judge restrained Obasanjo and his
agents “from further writing, printing, publishing or causing to be
published or printed or circulated, or otherwise, publishing of and
concerning the plaintiff, the statement contained in the Daily Sun (pages 47-49) and The Leadership
(pages 3 to 8) of December 12, last year and which statements are
alleged to have reproduced the letter written by the defendant to the
President, titled: ‘Before it is too late’ or similar statements
pending the determination of the motion on notice.”
The judge ordered the applicant to
“execute a bond with the Registrar of the court to pay such damages as
shall be assessed should it turn out that the order ought not to have
been granted in the first place.
He adjourned the hearing till Wednesday.
Kashamu had, shortly after the contents
of the letter became public, sued Obasanjo for alleged defamation of
character. He argued that the defendant (Obasanjo) “maliciously and
recklessly published a letter titled, “Before it is too late”, which
contained words which he (Obasanjo) “knew to be false.”
In his writ of summons, Kashamu stated
that the criminal imputation made against him by Obasanjo in his letter
injured him (Kashamu). He is praying the court to award in his favour
and against the ex-President, N20 billion for the damage he had suffered
as a result of the allegation.
He also claims against the Obasanjo as follows:
•A declaration that the words complained
of and published by the plaintiff against the defendant in a letter
titled: “Before it is too late” addressed to Dr. Goodluck E. Jonathan
and dated December 2, last year, which inter-alia carried
criminal imputation against the plaintiff and published in several
newspapers on December 12 is defamatory of the person of the plaintiff.
•An order awarding N20 billion only to
the plaintiff against the defendants as aggravated and exemplary damages
against the defendant for libel falsely and maliciously published by
the defendant against the plaintiff in the said letter.
•An order of perpetual injunction
restraining the defendant, his agents, servants or privies from
publishing or further publishing or cause to be published any defamatory
words against the plaintiff to any person or persons; and N100 million
as cost of this action.
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