The Kwara State Government has sued former governor Bukola Saraki at the State High Court for allegedly defaming Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.

However, Saraki has asked the governor to focus more on state administration rather than spending so many resources on a case they described as the former governor’s “mere exercise of his freedom of speech and right of reply, as leader of the opposition to Governor Abdulrazaq’s political party.”

Saraki, according to the single-count charge signed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Senior Ibrahim, and others, was accused of publishing and sharing a statement on or about April 17, 2026, on social media and newspapers “containing insulting, derogatory and abusive language.”

The charge noted that Saraki alleged in the publication that AbdulRazaq “is not educated up to secondary school education,” adding that the former governor knew or ought to have known this to be false, but “intentionally published the said statements in a manner to insult or provoke” the governor and the state government.

It further stated that this was done “in a manner likely to cause breakdown of public peace and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 399 of the Penal Code, CAP. P4, Laws of Kwara State, 2006.”

During proceedings yesterday, the prosecution counsel, R.O. Balogun, prayed the court to issue a bench warrant against Saraki to appear in court, and to discontinue the adjournment motion, since it is meant for arraignment.

In his counter-argument, however, the defendant’s counsel, Jimoh Mumeen (SAN), challenged the court’s jurisdiction. According to him, “the defendant brought the matter here for reasons best known to them.” He added that his client was not properly served.

Eventually, Justice Mohammed Folorunso adjourned the matter for preliminary objection and arraignment till July 3, 2026.

Nevertheless, in a statement, Saraki’s Media Officer on Local Matters, Abdulkadir Abdulganiy, said it was becoming a recurring decimal for the governor to seek to use the courts to harass and intimidate the leaders of opposition any time they make any comment against the policies and actions of his administration.

He added: “We note that the Kwara State Government believes the alleged defamatory social media post deserves more attention than the issue of acute insecurity plaguing the state, in which two of the three senatorial districts in the state have become a den of kidnappers, bandits, and insurgents.

“Also, the case of 176 people kidnapped from Woro community in the northern part of the state, who have been in captivity since early February, is taking a back seat behind the issue of a social media post which the governor’s handlers believed was unpleasant to him.”

IN another development, an investigator with the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Stanley Ujilibo, yesterday informed the state high court sitting in Ilorin that no part of the controversial N5.78 billion was directly released to former governor AbdulHamed AbdulFatai under whatever guise.

Ujilibo spoke at the ongoing trial of the former governor over an alleged diversion of N5.78 billion belonging to the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB). He added that neither AbdulFatai nor the UBEC was a signatory to the KWSUBEB account.

Ujilibo, who is also the sixth prosecution witness (PW6) and a member of the EFCC detective team, disclosed under cross-examination by counsel to the first defendant, Mr Abdulrasaq Gold (SAN), that the former governor approved a request to secure a N1billion loan from the state’s counterpart fund for the Kwara State Primary Education Board (SUBEB) for workers’ salaries.

He explained that the approval was granted following a request by the 2nd defendant, who was the former commissioner for Finance, contrary to the original purposes for which the SUBEB fund was meant.

Meanwhile, Ujilibo said the commission did not investigate AbdulFatai’s personal account because the petition before the commission did not link the diverted fund to his personal account. He added that none of the SUBEB accounting officers was standing trial before the court over the matter, but were rather witnesses.

Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar ruled that the learned counsel was at liberty to recall the witnesses for cross-examination.  He then adjourned the trial till July 27.