Court grants Ortom leave to serve Oshiomhole/APC N10bn suit

A Makurdi High Court, presided over by Justice Theresa Igoche, has granted leave to governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom to serve the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the political party with his writ of summons in Suit No. MHC/280/2018.

When the suit came up on Friday, August 24, 2018, counsel to Governor Ortom, Mr. Samuel Irabor moved an ex-parte application, seeking the leave of court to serve the defendants in Abuja outside Benue State Judicial Division.

The judge, who found merit in the application, granted leave for the defendants to be served at the APC National Secretariat, No. 40, Blantyre Street, Wuse II, Abuja. Once served with the writ of summons, the defendants have 30 days to enter appearance and file their defence.

The Guardian had reported earlier that Governor Ortom had, among other things, averred that the defendants assassinated his character and damaged his reputation, when in an APC sponsored press conference held on Friday, July 27, 2018, Comrade Oshiomhole accused him (Ortom) of having a hand in the death of two Catholic priests and their parishioners at Mbalom community on the ground that one of the priests had preached a ‘very critical sermon’ against Governor Ortom.

He is also seeking an order directing the defendants to publish simultaneous retractions/apologies in respect of the said defamatory and libelous publication.

The governor is equally seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their officers, privies, assigns, surrogates or agents howsoever called from further defaming and libeling the plaintiff’s character and reputation, as well as the N10bn cost of suit and damages.