The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Wuse, Abuja, has fixed January 21, 2025, to hear a N5bn defamation suit filed by the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, against blogger Sir Don Ubani.
The court, while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by the governor through his counsel, Dr. Sonny Ajala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, granted leave for substituted service of court processes on the defendant via his email and WhatsApp account.
According to court documents seen by THE WHISTLER, Governor Otti is seeking damages over a defamatory online publication titled “Governor Alexander Otti Of Abia State Should Be Clapped For” published on Ubani’s blog and Facebook page on September 26, 2024. The suit is marked FCT/HC/CV/4474/2024.
THE WHISTLER reported that in the blog post, Ubani had claimed that the governor acquired Eastern Comfort Hotel and Luxurious Maget Hotel in Umuahia.
Otti, through his lawyers, had written to the blogger demanding retraction of the article. In the letter addressed to Ubani on October 2, 2024, the lawyers said the blogger also accused their client of “wanton land grabbing” in Umuehim and Umuguru villages within the Ehi Na Uguru Autonomous Community in Nvosi, Isialangwa South Local Government Area.
“In this instance, the Governor has, through his proxies, bought two near moribund Hotels in Umuahia. Comfort Hotel is currently undergoing very remarkable renovation. The luxurious Maget Hotel is now a pride possession of the Governor.
“Here, therefore, reminds readers of the saying about Leadership. A Leader is not the one that does the greatest. But with what Governor Otti has done at Umuehim, Umuguru and the two Hotels at Umuahia, one doubts if Governor Alexander Otti has not done the greatest.,” the article partly read.
But Otti denied the allegations, saying he had “nothing to do with Comfort Hotel and ‘luxurious Maget Hotel’ in Umuahia, Abia State that you falsely alleged in your online publication are now ‘pride possession of the Governor.’”
The lawyers said the publication was meant to “destroy and rubbish” the governor’s reputation among various stakeholders, including the banking sector, his constituents, the Labour Party leadership and the general public.
The governor demanded a retraction and written apology to be published on Ubani’s Facebook wall, blog and in Thisday, Punch, The Nation and National Ambassador newspapers. Otti gave Ubani 7 days to comply.
But following Ubani’s failure to yield to the demands, Governor Otti approached the FCT High Court with five claims against the blogger.
The governor asked the court for a declaration that he has suffered loss of reputation, respect, goodwill, and standing as a political leader due to Ubani’s “false and malicious publication” against him.
He also sought an order restraining the defendant from further writing or syndicating disparaging materials against him.
Additionally, Governor Otti requested an order directing the defendant to publish an unreserved apology on his Facebook Wall, blog, and in the four national newspapers and pay him N150m in addition to the N5bn as cost of prosecuting the suit.
