A high court in Anambra state has granted Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), leave to serve court processes on Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), through substituted means in an N8 billion “defamation” suit.
D.A. Onyefulu, presiding judge, gave the order on Tuesday
after hearing an ex parte application filed by Chisom Ibemesi, Obi’s counsel,
The judge granted the application after considering an
affidavit showing that efforts by the court bailiff to personally serve the
processes on Okonkwo were unsuccessful.
The court ordered that the writ of summons, accompanying
processes and all subsequent court documents be served by pasting them at the
defendant’s residence in Nsukka, Enugu State, or by delivering them to any
adult at the address.
“Leave is granted to the Plaintiff/Applicant to serve the
Writ of Summons and other accompanying processes and all other subsequent
processes in this suit on the Defendant by substituted means to wit; by pasting
said processes at the Defendant’s home address – NPR 48 Ofuluonu, Nsukka, Enugu
State (close to Ijeoma Fishing Company, Ofuluonu, Nsukka, Enugu State) or by
serving same on any adult at the Defendant’s home address…” the order reads.
Onyefulu also ordered that “service to be photographed and
put in court’s file to show due compliance with orders of the court”.
The order is to be carried out within seven days.
Obi filed the defamation suit after accusing Okonkwo of
making defamatory remarks about him during an interview on Politics Today, a
programme on Channels Television.
In the interview, Okonkwo alleged that Obi and the
south-east caucus of the NDC demanded bribes from house of representatives and
senate hopefuls of the party in return for tickets.
The ADC chieftain alleged that Obunike Ohaegbu, NDC aspirant
for house of representatives ticket in Anambra, sent in a message alleging Obi
scammed him to the tune of N10 million.
Ohaegbu later appeared on the same television programme to
deny allegations that Obi collected N10 million as bribe from him.
Subsequently, Obi threatened a lawsuit against Okonkwo over
alleged defamatory comments, demanding a retraction, an apology published in
two national newspapers, and the sum of N5 billion “as general, aggravated and
exemplary damages for the grave injury occasioned to his hard-earned
reputation”.
Okonkwo, however, declined the demands, that his remarks
were based on facts and constituted fair comment on matters of public interest.
Okonkwo had served as one of the spokespersons for Obi’s
campaign council when the former governor was presidential candidate of the
Labour Party (LP) ahead of the 2023 election.
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