Benue APC gov candidate sues media houses for N3b

GOVERNORSHIP candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has taken four media houses to court, claiming N3 billion for libel and defamation.

The affected organisations are Radio Benue, Ashiwaves FM, Global Media Mirror Limited, publishers of National Mirror newspapers, and the National Broadcasting Commission.

Ortom, in a Suit No FHC/MKD/CS/26/2015 that came up for mentioning at the Federal High Court, Makurdi, Wednesday and presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, had his lawyers’ motion for service out of jurisdiction on Global Media Mirror Limited and the National Broadcasting Commission granted.

The APC candidate in his statement of claim filed by Samuel Irabor of Synergy Chambers, Makurdi, averred that on Thursday, 25th December, 2014 the first, second and third defendants caused the publication and broadcast of his purported disqualification as APC governorship candidate in Benue State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to the statement, the aggregate of the publication and broadcast was that he was in consequence ineligible to contest the Benue State gubernatorial election by reason of the alleged disqualification.

He posited that the publication and broadcasts were false, unsubstantiated, unethical, malicious, mischievous and unfounded, in bad taste and faith as well as a figment of the imagination of the defendants.

The former Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment asserted that the publication and broadcast had seriously reduced his standing in the eyes of the misinformed members of the public and caused him great psychological and physical distress and trauma owing to the measures he took to counter them throughout the festive period.