Court bars Obasanjo from publishing autobiography
Justice Valentine Ashi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja has restrained former President Olusegun Obasanjo from proceeding with plans to publish or have someone publish on his behalf, a new autobiography titled: ‘My watch’. The court handed down the order, Friday after listening to Alex Iziyon (SAN) arguing a […]
Justice Valentine Ashi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja has restrained former President Olusegun Obasanjo from proceeding with plans to publish or have someone publish on his behalf, a new autobiography titled: ‘My watch’.
The court handed down the order, Friday after listening to Alex Iziyon (SAN) arguing a motion ex-parte entered on behalf of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Buruji Kashamu. The motion is marked: FCT/HC/M/2392/2014.
The content of the book, according to Iziyon, relates to issues contained in Obasanjo’s December 2, 2013 letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and former PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, where he (Obasanjo) claimed that Kashamu was allegedly a fugitive, wanted in the United States.
He said that since the content of the letter was the subject of the libel suit his client filed against Obasanjo, which is still pending before the court, it was wrong for the ex-president to be allowed to proceed to comment on, write books about or make publications on the issue yet to be decided by the court.
Justice Ashi, in a ruling, restrained Obasanjo from either publishing the book or have it published on his behalf by anybody, pending the determination of the main suit still pending before the court.
“The defendant, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, whether by himself, his agents, servants, privies or any other person by whatever name called and howsoever described, is hereby restrained from publishing or caused to be published in the yet to published book, ‘My watch’ or any autobiography or biography and any extracts of same, by whatever name called or howsoever titled, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice hereof,” Justice Ashi said.
The judge further restrained Obasanjo and his agents “from further writing, printing, publishing or causing to be published or printed or circulated, or otherwise, publishing of and concerning the plaintiff, the statement contained in the Daily Sun (pages 47-49) and The Leadership (pages 3 to 8 ) newspapers of December 12, 2013 and which statements are alleged to have reproduced the letter written by the defendant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria titled: ‘Before it is too late’ or similar statements pending the determination of the motion on notice.”
“The judge ordered the applicant to “execute a bond with the Registrar of the court to pay such damages as shall be assessed should it turn out that the order ought not to have been granted in the first place.” He adjourned hearing on the main suit to December 10.
Kashamu had, shortly after the content of the letter became public, sued Obasanjo for alleged defamation of character.