PDP chair Secondus drags Minister Lai to court, wants N1.5bn, widespread apology

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Prince Uche Secondus has dragged the Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed to court for defamation of character.

Secondus through his lawyer Emeka Etiaba SAN had earlier written to the Minister seeking the immediate retraction of the National Chairman’s name on the list of looters recently released by the federal government, payment of N1.5 billion as damages and a public apology within 48 hours.

The Minister had alleged in the list that the PDP boss collected N200million from the former National Security Adviser (NSA). But an embarrassed Secondus said he never collected a dime from the former NSA.

In his letter, he told Mohammad to note that if he fails to meet their demand after 48 hours, “We shall within 72 hours from today, proceed to a court of competent jurisdiction to ventilate our clients right under the law and shall further seek the protection of the court against you”

Having failed to meet the demand, Prince Secondus made good his threat on Friday as he filed a suit at the Port Harcourt, High Court, Rivers state claiming among other things that the court awards to him the sum of N1.5 billion being damages for humiliation, castigation, vilification attack on his person and integrity as a result of the publication.

According to a statement from the PDP National Chairman’s media office signed by his Spokesperson, Ike Abonyi, Secondus in the suit no/PHC/1013/2018 is also claiming that Lai Mohammad’s publication is defammatory and is asking the court to direct him to retract the said publication and apologize in writing.

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He also wants the retraction and apology published in all the social media including but not limited to the Following newspapers, The Nation, Thisday, The Sun, Guardian and Punch as well as in The following television channels, NTA and Channels Televisions among others where the defammatory story was published.

Secondus is also asking the court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from further publishing defammatory materials against him.

Joined in the suit are the federal Government of Nigeria through the Attorney General of the federation and the Vintage Press Ltd, publishers of The Nation Newspapers.

 

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