According to the Guardian newspaper, an Abuja High Court has barred former President Olusegun Obasanjo from proceeding with plans to publish or have someone publish on his behalf a new autobiography entitled, My Watch. Presided by Justice Valentine Ashi, the court, after listening to an ex-parte motion argued by Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN) on Friday on behalf of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Buruji Kashamu, gave the restraining order. Iziyon had submitted that the content of the book relates to issues contained in Obasanjo’s December 2, 2013 letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and former National Chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur, in which the former president alleged that Kashamu was a fugitive and was wanted in the United States (U.S.)
He argued that since the content of the letter is the subject of his client’s pending libel suit against Obasanjo, it would be wrong before a court of law for him to be allowed to proceed to comment on, write books about or make publications on the issue.
In his ruling, Justice Ashi 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, 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 be 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,” Ashi ruled.
He 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 to 49) and The Leadership (pages 3 to 8) 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 subsequently adjourned hearing on the main suit to December 10.
Kashamu had sued Obasanjo for alleged defamation of character when he “maliciously and recklessly published a letter titled, ‘Before it is too late,’ which contained words he (Obasanjo) knew to be false.”
Claiming that the criminal imputation made against him in the letter has injured him, he prayed the court to award in his favour and against the ex-president N20 billion, among others, for the damage he has suffered as a result of the allegation.
Source: The Guardian