Ganduje Backtracks, Seeks to Withdraw Defamation Case against Jaafar Jaafar
Kano State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has applied to withdraw the case he filed against journalist and publisher of Daily Nigerian (an online news medium) Jaafar Jaafar.
Ganduje took Jaafar to court since 2018 over a story Daily Nigerian published in its website, https://dailynigerian.com titled: EXCLUSIVE: NIGERIAN GOVERNOR CAUGHT ON VIDEO RECEIVING $5M BRIBES, and other follow-up stories in the same website which the governor said are defamatory against him.
He therefore asked the court to declare that “the act of publishing and circulating libelous statements, false video clips on online media, attacking and impugning the character and integrity of the Plaintiff amounts to defamation of character of the Plaintiff by the Defendants.”
He sought for perpetual injunction “restraining the Defendants from further publishing and sharing the said defamatory statement on any media howsoever described.”
However, in an application to the Kano State High Court dated the 28th day of Jun, 2021, Ganduje’s lawyers,led by Chief E.O.B Offiong, SAN, sought for the following orders from the court:
- An order granting leave to the Plaintiff/Applicant to discontinue his claims in Suit No K/519/2018 against the defendant before this Honourable Court.
- An order discontinuing Plaintiff/Applicant’s claims in Suit No K/519/2018 against the Defendant in this Honourable.
- And for such further or other Order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance of this case.
The application was supported by a 4-paragraph affidavit deposed to by C. N. Obile, Esq. who said in paragraph 3 (c) and (d) that “the matter is yet to proceed to trial and the Plaintiff/Applicant now intends to discontinue this action before this Honourable Court.
“That by the Rules of this Honourable Court, where a defence has been filed and a plaintiff wishes to discontinue his action, leave of court is required to discontinue, hence this Application.”
The case has been slated to be mentioned on the 6th of July, 2021.
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