Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
A former governor of Ogun State and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Olusegun Osoba has dragged Senator Femi Okuronmu before the Ogun State High Court over libelous publications by the senator against him.
In the suit filed on November 8, by Osoba’s counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the claimant is demanding the sum of N3 billion as damage from the respondent, Okurounmu.
According to a copy of the suit, numbered AB/493/2019, obtained by our correspondent on Sunday, Okurounmu was alleged to had granted interviews to two national dailies, where he allegedly maligned Osoba’s character.
Among the prayers of Osoba before the court are as follow: “An order of the court to direct the respondent to make and render an unequivocal retraction of the said malicious publication afore-quoted on the front pages on seven (7) consecutive editions of both Saturday Sun Newspaper and Daily Independent Newspaper.
“An order directing Okurounmu to render and tender an unreserved apology to the claimant for the said malicious and libelous publication.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, either by himself, servants, privies, agent or acting through any person or persons howsoever or through any means or channels whatsoever from publishing or further publishing, disseminating or further disseminating, granting newspaper interviews or further granting any interviews whatsoever in furtherance of his continuous uttering, disseminating of causing to be disseminated, libelous publication against the claimant”.
In the statement of the claimant, the said publications were published on July 11 and 20 respectively.
In the said publication, Okurounmu said: “Those who know Osoba know that he has always been a double faced politician.
“On one face, he will want people to see him as a progressive, on the other face; he is working with the security forces. Osoba has always been an agent of the security forces.
“He has one leg in the military and the other leg in the progressives’ camp. If you have never been told that, I am telling you now. So, when he narrated what he went through in his book of course, for anybody who is a double agent, such person will get into trouble.
“So, he got into trouble in the early stage of the annulment of June 12 because he has been a close collaborator with ex military president, Ibrahim Babangida who annulled the election. It was Babangida that sponsored Osoba governorship in Ogun State in 1992.
“So, we all know that Osoba was a double agent. While being a close associate of Babangida, he was now pretending to be supporting MKO Abiola. That was what got him into trouble with the military.