A former Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, has dragged a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in the State, Alhaji Sani Shehu, before the Bauchi State High Court 9, for alleged defamatory utterances against his personality and his administration.
He is seeking for N10bn as damages.
Counsel to the plaintiff (Yuguda), Mr. Okechukwu Nwaeze, who disclosed this to journalists in Bauchi on Friday, said the former governor filed the suit before the court seeking N10bn damages in an action against Sani Mallam over his allegations that Yuguda was corrupt and fraudulent during his tenure as the governor of the state.
Okechukwu said the plaintiff complained of the APC chieftain’s reckless and defamatory public comments about his personality and administration on two radio stations: Ray power FM and the Bauchi Radio Corporation.
The counsel alleged that Mallam, who was a former All Nigeria Peoples Party Chairman in the state, “accused Yuguda of woeful performance, excessive looting of public treasury, name-calling such as election rigger and manipulator. All these statements tempered with the reputation and personality of the former governor.
“It is not right to persecute people in the media. If the man is guilty of any fraud, the defendant should provide the proof or otherwise focus on his political activities.
“Our prayers are that the court should issue an order for the defendant to tender an apology in two national dailies and two online papers. The defendant should also be banned from featuring on such political programmes in media houses and should pay the sum of N10bn damages to the plaintiff.”
The Presiding Judge, Justice Muazu Abubakar, adjourned the case to October 6, 2015 for mentioning.
