…She’ll Be Guided By Constitution And Give Judgement – Adedipe
Those who trooped to court to hear judgement on Thursday over suit by former Rivers State governor, Sir (Dr) Peter Odili, against co-authors were disappointed as the judge did not deliver her judgement in a case allegedly involving defamation of character.
Justice Augusta Chukwu of Port-Harcourt High Court who asked counsels representing former governor to come back on 27 January did not give reason why judgement was not given. Neither the defendants nor their counsels were in court on Thursday.
She had announced judgement would be given on 19 December after Ifedayo Adedipe, SAN, counsel to former governor, had filed and adopted his final written address.
Asked why judgement was not given, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said it was apparent the judgement was not ready.
He said: “The judgement is not ready, apparently, because the judge came out and announced that we should come back on a later date – 27 January, 2020. So I take that to mean that the judgement is not ready.”
He however said he expects the judge to deliver judgement within three months according to constitutional requirement.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said: “She has adjourned to the 27th. So when we come we see what happens but you know under the Constitution a High Court judge has three months within which to deliver a judgement after final written addresses. So, I’m sure she will be guided by that provision and then do what needs to be done”.
In adopting his final written address at court’s previous sitting, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said the court should grant all his reliefs. The senior lawyer said the law should be used to reset society and expressed displeasure at way people could tarnish other people’s image.
In interview, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said co-authors and defendants in the case called the former governor all sorts of names in their book and expressed hope justice would be served.
He had said: “My expectation would be that justice will be served in accordance with the established facts and the provisions of the law. The established facts show that they wrote a book impugning and damaging the reputation and character of the former governor, called him all manners of name including being a thief and swindler of public fund without a shred of evidence. They equally accused him, again without evidence, that he sponsored third term and was going to scuttle democracy in Nigeria”.
The former state governor filed libel suit against co-authors Prof. Chidi Odinkalu and Ms Ayisha Osori for alleging he co-sponsored campaign for third term by Nigeria’s former President Oluseagun Obasanjo.
The former governor said the co-authors soiled his reputation and brought him to public ridicule by allegations and asked they pay sum of N1billion as compensation and make public apology.
In their book “Too Good To Die: Third Term and the Myth of the Indispensable Man In Africa” co-authors Prof. Odinkalu and Ms Osori alleged the former governor co-sponsored third term campaign by former President Obasanjo who was in office from 1999 to 2007.
They said in part of the book that there was “a deep financial bond between the president, Senator Ararume and the governments of Bauchi and Rivers States, then ruled, respectively, by two of President Obasanjo’s closest governorship acolytes, Adamu Muazu and Peter Odili, who were at the centre of the shadowy, complex, unlawful, and almost certainly, criminal financial operations behind third term”.
Counsel for defendants, Barrister Idaye Opi, withdrew from the case after alleging judge was biased, an allegation the judge denied.
