Libel: Wike slams N7bn suit on Thisday

TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt

In the publication captioned, “With Wike, Obaseki Meets His PDP’s Waterloo, Almost,” the defendants (Thisday) maliciously and falsely portrayed the claimant (Wike) as an unreliable friend/person.

The suit filed at the Port Harcourt High Court by Governor Wike’s counsel, Emmanuel Ukala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria  (SAN), the defendants further portrayed Governor Wike as a selfish politician and a person, who meddled in and exerts subterranean influence in judicial matters in courts sitting in Port Harcourt to achieve selfish political interest and that he is not a true democrat.

He is, therefore, seeking an order of mandatory injunction compelling the defendants to withdraw, retract and recant the said libellous publication.

The retraction is to be published at the front page (and to devote the whole full front page to the publication of the retraction).

Another relief sought by the claimant is, the defendants to publish an apology in the terms acceptable to the claimant and with his prior approval at the back page ( on the full back page) in the same edition on which the retraction is published, and consecutive editions of ThisDay Newspapers.

The claimant is also seeking an order of injunction restraining the defendants by themselves or by their servants, agents, privies and associates from further publishing the said libel or any manner, however, and whatsoever continuing to circulate the said libellous publication concerning the claimant.