Tension as Suspended APC Lawmaker Drags Speaker, 7 Media Houses to Court, Gives Reason

• APC lawmaker who was suspended by the Edo state house of assembly, Adah Isibor, has dragged the house and seven other media houses to court
• Isibor accused the house and the media houses of making and publishing libellous statements about him, damaging his reputation
• The Edo lawmaker is seeking N30 billion damages in the lawsuit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja

Benin, Edo - Adah Isibor, the representative of Esan Northeast I in the Edo State House of Assembly and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was indefinitely suspended on May 6, 2024, has filed a lawsuit against the speaker, Blessing Agbebaku and seven media houses at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja.

The lawsuit alleges libel and wrongful publication of false statements, seeking damages amounting to N30 billion.

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Why Edo assembly suspended three lawmakers

Isibor, along with two other lawmakers, Donald Okogbe (Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Akoko-Edo II) and Bright Iyamu (PDP, Orhionmwon II), were suspended indefinitely due to concerns over a juju scare at the Assembly complex and an alleged impeachment plot against the speaker and other principal officers.

Isibor, in the suit, with reference number FCT/HC/CV/2856/2024, Agbebaku and the seven media houses were listed as the first to eight defendants, who were accused jointly and severally of libel for broadcasting or publishing the false and libellous statements made by the first defendant (Agbebaku) during the plenary.

Edo: Why APC lawmaker dragged speaker to court

The APC’s lawmaker claimed that the speaker’s statements and broadcasts/publications damaged his reputation in the eyes of his learned colleagues, his co-parishioners, church members, clients, and constituents, among others, and wanted Agbebaku to immediately publish a retraction in five print and five online media, with an apology.

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He also wanted an order mandating the second to eight defendants to immediately publish a retraction of the defamatory publications and broadcasts in their respective media.

Isibor asked for damages of N3 billion against the defendants, jointly and severally, and N50 million cost of the suit, as well as 10 per cent interest on the damages, from the date of the judgment until the judgment’s debt would be fully paid, while no date has been fixed for hearing.

Source: Legit.ng