Deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 21, 2024 Edo State election, Dennis Idahosa, has initiated a N2.15 billion libel lawsuit against Olu Martins, the Deputy Director General of Media and Publicity for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship campaign council.
In the lawsuit, Idahosa alleges that Martins authored an article labeling him as a fraudulent individual.
Reported by NewsNow, the incumbent lawmaker representing Ovia Federal Constituency filed the suit at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The case, under suit number CS/2259/24, was lodged on May 3, 2024 by Ehiogie West-Idahosa, SAN, the claimant’s legal representative.
Idahosa is seeking N2 billion as general, punitive, aggravated, and exemplary damages from Martins for the defamatory and malevolent publication against him.
The APC deputy gubernatorial candidate is also requesting N15 million to cover legal expenses.
The Federal lawmaker claims that the defendant disseminated an article across various social media platforms titled ‘APC GUBER CANDIDATE, OKPEBHOLO MOCKS OSHIOMHOLE AS IDAHOSA RETURNS FROM FOREIGN TRIP’ on May 2, 2024, tarnishing his personal and political reputation publicly.
Consequently, Idahosa has implored the court to rule that the defendant’s publication, distributed through various WhatsApp group chat pages, Facebook, and other digital platforms, is defamatory and malicious.
He also demands a perpetual injunction restraining Martins, his affiliates, or associates from further composing, printing, or posting online the aforementioned article or any similar damaging statements.
Additional resolutions sought include “A directive for the defendant to publicly apologize to the claimant in a manner deemed suitable by him, to be circulated on WhatsApp group chat pages and other social media platforms continuously for four weeks and to retract the previously published content.
“An official order for the defendant to promptly remove the published content.”