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From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has maintained that ThisDay newspaper and its three staff deliberately cast aspersions on his public image and political reputation.
The lead counsel to the Rivers State governor, Emmanuel Ukala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said this while cross-examining the defence witness, Jude Igbanoi, after watching some video clips tendered by the lead defence counsel, Tuduru Ede, SAN, as exhibit at the Rivers State High Court, Port Harcourt on Friday.
Hearing on the matter with suit no. PHC/ 1505/CS/20 between Governor Wike (claimant) and Thisday Newspaper Ltd and 3 others as defendants, had continued on Friday with Ukala, SAN, cross examining Igbanoi.
The lead counsel to the governor had told the court presided over by
Justice Adolphus Enebeli that ThisDay in its publication of June 23, 2020, with caption, “With a friend like Wike, Obaseki, meets his PDP’s Waterloo; Almost”, portrayed Governor Wike as untrustworthy and unreliable political ally.
Ukala contended that Thisday deliberately portrayed Governor Wike in bad light in its report as the content of the video clips rather revealed Governor Wike’s utmost sincerity of purpose in the Edo People’s Democratic Party (PDP) campaign and not as a betrayer, unreliable, pretentious character and undemocratic element as reported by Thisday Newspaper.
Examining the video clips of Edo PDP rally, Arise TV interview with the Rivers State governor, and another video where Governor Wike spoke, Ukala said the contents where unreflective of the negative portrayals of Governor Wike in the contentious report, and as such shows a deliberate ploy by the newspaper and its staff to dent the public image of the governor and smear his political reputation.
The matter was adjourned till April 25 and 27, 2022, for further hearing.
