The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has filed a libel suit against an online publication, Daily Nigerian, and its publisher, Jafaar Jafaar.
Ganduje’s suit is based on the video published by the online newspaper allegedly showing him collecting bribe from contractors.
The governor is demanding N3 billion as damages.
In a writ of summons dated November 13, 2018, and filed by Nuradeen A. Ayagi who is Ganduje’s counsel, Daily Nigerian is required to file an appearance before 14 days.
In the suit, Ganduje demanded that the court should declare the publication as a defamation of character.
He said the court should also restrain the publishing of the document which he considered libelous.
The defendants, he said, should be made to write a public apology to the plaintiff and “broadcast such apology through their online platforms and news media with global accessibility.”
It would be recalled that Daily Nigerian published a video allegedly showing Ganduje collecting bribe from contractors.
The State House of Assembly took interest in the case and set up a panel which commenced investigation.
However, midway into the probe, a Kano High Court restrained the legislative house following a suit to that effect.
Mohammed Zubair had on behalf of the National Coordinator of Lawyers for Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria approached the court to stop the House of Assembly from probing the alleged case of bribery.
It described the action of the legislative house as unconstitutional.
The court, where the application was filed, therefore ruled that the parties should maintain status quo ante pending the determination of the suit filed by the body.
The House of Assembly has since stopped its probe into the case.
