Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, minister of women affairs, has filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Kafilat Ogbara, a member of the house of representatives.

Ogbara is chairman of the house committee on women affairs and social development.

Speaking in an interview with Arise Television on June 5, Ogbara claimed that there are “many petitions” against Kennedy-Ohanenye and that the lower chamber is investigating the minister.

The minister had been invited to appear before the house committee on public procurement and the panel on women affairs and social development.

Reacting to Ogbara’s remarks, the minister denied the allegations, saying she is not under investigation over allegations of fund misappropriation.

THE DEFAMATION SUIT

In a suit filed on June 14 at the high court in Enugu, Ogbara and Arise Television were listed as first and second defendants, respectively.

Through Chuma Oguejifor, her lawyer, Kennedy-Ohanenye argued that the lawmaker’s comments were “offensive” and “poisoned” the hearts of people who know the minister.

Oguejifor said the minister reached out to the lawmaker over her comment and informed her that it was “false”.

The counsel said the lawmaker refused to apologise or retract her comments.

“The 1st Defendant who had been invited to a program hosted by the 2nd defendant which took place on or about 3/6/2024 and 5/6/2024 had while answering questions thrown to her by a staff of the aforesaid 2nd defendant, spoken of and concerning the plaintiff among others, the following words i.e. to say “I think the minister Bar. Uju Ken-Ohanenye is being investigated already by the committee on public procurement. Our own committee is also inviting her for fraud based on several petitions written against her. The House Committee on Women’s affairs is waiting for her to appear before us. They were using different analogies, different names for the same purpose at the Ministry of Women Affairs. Their records show misappropriation of funds, we noticed these when we visited her Ministry last to carry out our oversight functions,” the court document reads.

“The above words which were spoken of the plaintiff by the 1st defendant who had also mentioned the plaintiff by name were however recorded and reduced to a permanent form, the plaintiff found a copy thereof at the trial and gives the 2nd defendant notice to produce the original at the trial.

“That millions of Nigerians listen to the 2nd Defendant’s broadcasts and programmes, in fact the offensive publication was given such wide publicity that several persons including persons living in Enugu where the plaintiff is widely known and had grown up had listened to and heard the publication.

“Their hearts were poisoned by the publication which is false so much so that they now view the plaintiff with odium, contempt and ridicule.

“The plaintiff had reached out to the defendants and spoken to them about how the publication was as offensive as it was false but till date they have not apologized to the plaintiff nor retracted the defamatory publication.

“In these circumstances where the defendants have been remorseless about the publication which as earlier on stated above, exposed the plaintiff to great odium and ridicule especially before right thinking members of the society including her friends, associates, her lawyers, relations, etc., the plaintiff is left with no option in the circumstances than to file the present suit against the defendants for defamation of character.

“Wherefore the plaintiff claims against the defendants jointly and severally damages amounting to 1 billion naira for libel or defamation of her character.”

Shehu Sani, a former senator who represented Kaduna central, says he saved former President Olusegun Obasanjo from being assaulted by inmates of the Kirikiri Maximum Security prison in 1995.

The former senator spoke during a lecture in Abuja on Thursday.

Obasanjo was Nigeria’s head of state from 1976 to 1979. He returned as civilian president in 1999 and handed over the reins of power in 2007.

Sani was among pro-democracy activists and dissidents who were rounded up and jailed by the military junta led by Sani Abacha, who was president from 1993 to 1998.

Obasanjo was arrested in 1995 for allegedly plotting a coup and was jailed.

‘THEY INSULTED OBASANJO’

Recounting events from the era, Sani said himself, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and Obasanjo were moved to Kirikiri prison after their arrests.

He said “armed robbers” in prison began “shouting and insulting” the former president when they saw him.

Sani added that he “talked to the inmates to calm down, that no matter their grievances with Obasanjo, he was now an inmate”.

“In 1995, a team of soldiers, policemen and DSS visited my house in Kaduna. It was a journey that began and lasted for four years,” he said.

“I was picked up from Kaduna and brought to Lagos with the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. From the airport, we were led to the DSS headquarters, where we met President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“Unfairly from the soldiers, they handcuffed me but did not do so for Obasanjo or Yar’Adua. Obasanjo looked at me and asked me who I was and if I had stolen something for them to have handcuffed me. I told him I was an activist.

“I was then the deputy chairman of the Campaign for Democracy. We were taken to Kirikiri Maximum Prison. We stayed there without anybody saying anything to us. When we arrived at Kirikiri, we were given a blanket and a plate of food.

“We were then allocated our cells. When the armed robbers there saw Obasanjo, they started shouting and insulting him.

“Naturally, for those of us who were human rights activists, we were popular with inmates. I told him, ‘You are a commander outside, but this is where I command’. I then I talked to the inmates to calm down, that no matter their grievances with Obasanjo, he was now an inmate.

“I got 15 years, Obasanjo got 15 years, Yar’Adua got life imprisonment. Those of us from the north were sent to southern prisons and those from the south were sent to northern prisons. That was how I found myself in Port Harcourt prison.

“I was in Port Harcourt prison when Ken Saro-Wiwa was brought in and hanged. I could see them from the window.”

‘ACTIVISTS MADE A MISTAKE IN 1998’

Sani added that pro-democracy activists of the era made a mistake by not putting themselves forward for political leadership as the military prepared to hand over power to civilians after Abacha’s death.

“Abdulsalami Abubakar, military head of state, invited all of us who fought for democracy, that he was going to hand over power to a democratically elected government and that he wanted all of us — the freedom fighters — to come together and take over power,” he said.

“At that very time, Gani Fawehinmi opposed it. Three times, Abubakar invited us. We even refused to answer his calls. Meanwhile, the politicians who were not invited were knocking on his door.

“After we decided to listen to him, we came and sat down. What do we do? After the struggle, the ANC in South Africa took over political power. But after our struggle, in 1998/1999 we made a fundamental mistake and said we were not going to cooperate with the military.

“Mike Ozekhome was one of those who said we should not join politics. Gani opposed as well, Falana opposed, Olisa Agbakoba… all opposed.

“It was Bola Tinubu who said ‘if we don’t get in, who is going to be there?’ By the time we all agreed to join politics, politicians had taken over all positions.

“Ozekhome tried to be governor of Edo state, he couldn’t; Olisa tried to be president, he couldn’t; Gani tried to be president, he couldn’t; Falana tried to be governor of Ekiti, he couldn’t; I tried to be governor of Kaduna — but the spaces had all been taken over.”

The cases challenging the defection of the 25 State lawmakers in Rivers State from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC, have been transferred.

The case was transferred from Federal High Court 4, Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Steven Dalyop Pam, to court two controlled by Justice E. O. Obele.

However, there was confusion yesterday among journalists covering the court proceedings and some of the lawyers in the matter as they got to the court, Friday morning, to discover that the cases have been transferred to a different court.

The lawyers and journalists who were stocked at court four could only realise that the matters have been moved when the notable Senior Advocates of Nigeria in the matter who had arrived the court premises could not be found in court four.

On approaching the court clerk after over an hour of resumption of court sitting, it was discovered that the matter was transferred Thursday to the new court.

This transfer came following a petition by a defendant in matter, Hon. Martins Amaewhule, to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, demanding that the cases against him be transferred to another court.

The cases are one instituted by BOOT Party and others as plaintiffs in suit number FHC/PHC/269/2024 and another by Civil Society Organsiation in the state against Amaewhule and other, all on the defection of the defendants to the APC.

When the court had resumed on Monday for hearing, the court was confronted with a petition signed by Martin Amaewhule addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, seeking the case to be reassigned to another court.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Steven Dalyop Pam, who read the petition in the open court, had noted that the petitioner, Amaewhule, was praying the CJ of the High Court, to stop the hearing process following the petition.

When the petition was read, Counsel for the plaintiff, BOOT Party, Mr. Reuben Wanogho, had informed the court that the petition was aimed at arresting the ongoing case and urged the court to discountenance it.

But, Counsel for the 1st to 25th Defendants in the suit, Ferdinand Orbi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, denied knowledge of the petition by his client, prayed the court to adhere to the petition and stop further proceeding if the letter was addressed to the CJ of the court.

However, the presiding judge, Pam, noted that in the first instance the petitioner (Amaewhule) has no motion, counter affidavit before him and that he is not yet known in the case.

Pam in his ruling had noted that the petitioner has not copied his petition on the plaintiffs, noting the court would have no other option than discountenance the petition and move on with hearing of motions for joinder.