PDP NATIONAL CHAIR, UCHE SECONDUS DRAGS MEMBER, AFEGBUA TO COURT TO CLEAR HIS NAME OF FRAUD
….demands N5Bn damages
…also demands public apology from him and media Houses
The National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Prince UCHE SECONDUS has dragged a former Edo State Commissioner for Information, Prince KASSIM AFEGBUA to a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja to clear his name of fraudulent activities levelled against him by AFEGBUA.
UCHE SECONDUS is seeking a N5bn as compensation among other things for libelous publications against him.
Prince SECONDUS claims that the allegation by Prince AFEGBUA, published by several media establishments within and outside Nigeria, which alleged that he misappropriated the sum of Ten billion Naira belonging to the PDP is libellous, because according to him, nothing of such ever happened.
In the writ of summons filed by his Counsel, EMEKA ETIABA, SAN against Prince AFEGBUA, Media Trust Ltd and the Sun Publishing Ltd, Prince SECONDUS is seeking a declaration of the court that the Prince AFEGBUA failed to prove that the PDP generated the sum of N10, 000, 000, 000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) from sales of Nomination Forms and/or other sources since 2017.
He is also seeking a declaration of the court that the publications against him are false and malicious.
He seeks a declaration of Court that the publications made by the Defendants against the Claimant (the subject matter of this Suit) is defamatory as well as an order of the Court directing the defendants to publish a written apology in all the news outfits and social media platforms including but not limited to the Daily Trust Newspaper, Daily Sun Newspaper, This Day Newspaper, The Guardian Newspaper, Punch Newspaper, Pilot, New Telegraph, The Nation, Nigerian Television Authority, African Independent Television, Channels Television among others where the alleged defamatory materials were published and in particular, the 2nd and 3rd defendants’ Newspapers.
SECONDUS equally seeks an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the defendants, their agents and privies from further making the defamatory publications against the him.
Furthermore, in the suit, the PDP National Chairman seeks monetary compensation to the tune of ₦5,000,000,000.00 (Five Billion Naira) only, being general damages for the humiliation, castigation, vilification, attack on his integrity and person by the occasioned by the publications.
Prince SECONDUS said that the publications are false, which the 1st defendant, AFEGBUA knows to be false, have brought him to odium and have seriously challenged his right standing in the society as a trustworthy character.
Prince SECONDUS also noted that the alleged libelous publications have been read by prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party, members of the Public (both Nigerians and non-Nigerians) as they were published in several news houses and social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others operating both in Nigeria and in the whole world.
The claimant argued that the fact that the publications were read by the general public, as confirmed through series of phone calls he received from his Pastors, Governors, Senators, Honourable Members of National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, Commissioners and many prominent members of the PDP nationwide, have portrayed his personality in bad light, in the estimation of the right thinking and reasonable members of the public, whose perception of him are that he is a person of fraudulent character; a person lacking in sincerity and integrity; a person with greedy character; and an incompetent personality in the management of such an exalted office of the National Chairman of PDP as well as an evil and untrustworthy person and also a person not worthy of public trust.
Brave Views recalls that before going to court, Prince SECONDUS through his counsel EMEKA ETIABA, SAN had written to Prince AFEGBUA to retract the publication and apologize to him but he (AFEGBUA) refused.