BREAKING NEWS
EXCLUSIVE TO CRSDigest.
Adams Oshiomhole trying to hide proceeds of corruption! Real reason he abandoned libel case!
More trouble for troubled APC Chairman… Details of struck-out libel case exposed.
Adams Oshiomhole: They say I am a very corrupt megaphone of falsehood and deceit who is unfit to occupy and remain in office as the duly elected Governor of Edo State etc…
“the defendants know or ought to know that I built my Iyamor house over several years commencing from about 1994”
Defendants: Adams Oshiomhole has no good reputation that is deserving of protection by the honorable court.
…claimant’s house in Iyamor has been fundamentally transfigured and/or renovated in recent times after the Claimant had become governor of Edo State.
Court strike out Adams Oshiomhole’s libel case for want of diligent prosecution.
Adams Oshiomhole doesn’t want court to visit his Mobutu Seseseko estate in Iyamoh.
Adams fake primary school certificate scandal resurface…
In a libel suit instituted in 2012 by Mr Adams Oshiomhole against Chief Dan Osi Orbih, PDP Chairman, as well as PDP, the Managing Director/Edition-in-Chief of the publishers of Tribune Newspapers, Adams Oshiomhole complained that “the words published by the defendants touching and concerning me in their natural and ordinary meaning, meant and were understood to mean or were capable of being understood to mean that I:
i. am a criminal who engages in immoral acts;
ii. received state funds that were allegedly diverted by late President Musa Yar’Adua to fund my campaigns;
iii. collected state funds from late President Musa Yar’Adua with which I allegedly acquired “eye-popping mansions in Iyamor, Abuja; kaduna, Guiness Guest House GRA, Benin City; Housing Estate at Aiguobasimwin GRA, Benin City and BJ Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos;
iv. am a very corrupt megaphone of falsehood and deceit who is unfit to occupy and remain in office as the duly elected Governor of Edo State etc…
Adams Oshiomhole further claimed that “the defendants know or ought to know that I built my Iyamor house over several years commencing from about 1994″… he denied acquisition of or having interest in all the properties listed above.
Adams Oshiomhole went on to deny owning any mansion and declared that the allegations contained in the publication were false.
The defendants initially tried to crush the case by submitting that since the governor enjoyed immunity and couldn’t be sued, therefore, he too should not be able to sue. When that submission was rejected, the defendants submitted a statement of defense that made Adams Oshiomhole run away from court. Below, are excerpts of the joint statement of Defence by the defendants.
Lawyer to the defendant, Chief Ferdinand Orbih S.A.N. In the Statement of Defence stated in paragraph 6 that:
“The 3rd and 4th Defendants aver that the Claimant’s house at Iyamho has been fundamentally transfigured and/or renovated in recent times after the Claimant had become the Governor of Edo State.”
“Particulars of Renovation:
a. In recent times, the Claimant did a major restructuring of his house at Iyamor, adding a new wing of massive proportion to the same.
b. Until recently, the Claimant’s house at Iyamor did not contain a swimming pool. The Claimant has now added an Olympic size swimming pool to his mansion.
c. The Claimant in the process of renovation, created artificial lakes, ponds and bridges over a land that has no river in order to create an illusion of grandeuraround his mansion.
d. The 3rd and 4th Defendants shall at the trial of this action, rely on aerial satellitephotographs of these and other additions and renovation of the Claimant’s mansion at Iyamor.”
Chief Orbih, SAN, continued and informed the court that they would move the court to visit the Iyamho house in paragraph 7.
” The 3rd and 4th Defendants shall at the trial of this action move this Honourable Court to pay a visit to the Claimant’s house at Iyamor”
9. In answers to paragraph 11 of the Statement of Claim, the 3rd and 4th Defendants aver that it was the Claimant who told the whole world that the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua gave him “generous financial support for his campaign”. The Claimant also told the whole world that when he lost, the late President gave him “support to contribute” to his legal case in court.
10. The 3rd and 4th Defendants aver that the Claimant’s publication of this matter brought it to the realm of public debate and discussion. The 3rd and 4th Defendants shall contend at the trial of this suit that a repetition and/or quotation of the Claimant’s statement issued to the whole world was not libelous.
11. The 3rd and 4th Defendants state that at all times material to the Claimant publications that the late President umaru Musa yar adua gave him generous financial support for his campaign and contributed to his legal case in court, the said President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was then the Governor of Katsina state.
12. The 3rd and 4th Defendants aver that the Claimant did not state the source or sources of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s abundant or plentiful contribution to campaign funds and legal battles during his publication of the same and therefore left that issue to interpretation. His claim that the source of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua contribution to his campaign funds and legal battles were his personal funds is an afterthought. The Claimant did not state that no funds belonging to the masses of Katsina state was given to him.
13. The fact that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was the Governor of Katsina state at all times material to his alleged generosity to the Claimant was common knowledge to the people of Nigeria.
“15. The Claimant has no good reputation that is deserving of protection by this Honourable court.
Particulars:
a) The 3rd and 4th Defendants aver that on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Form CF001, filled by the Claimant and submitted by him to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the election held on 14th July, 2012 the Claimant stated that he attended Iyamor primary school, Iyamor from 1957-1962. Contrary to this assertion by the Claimant, Iyamor primary school, Iyamor was not in existence when the Claimant stated that he attended it. Iyamor primary school was founded in 1976. The 3rd and 4th Defendants shall, at the trial, cause a subpoena to be issued on the officials of the Edo State Ministry of Education to tender relevant documents in proof thereof.
b) The Claimant in the same Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Form CF001 referred to in paragraph (a) above , deposed to a fact that he obtained a primary school leaving certificate in 1962. Whereas he does not have such a certificate.
c) The Claimant in the same Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Form CF001, claimed to have been born in 1952 and started his primary school education in 1957. That is to say the Claimant started his primary school education at the age of five. Contrary to this assertion it was the policy of the then Western region ( of which the present day Edo State was a part) that the stipulated minimum age of commencing primary education was six years.
e) The 3rd and 4th Defendants shall contend at the trial of this action that a man who could make false claims on oath does not have a reputation, that is deserving of protection, by any part of the law, including this Honourable court.
f) The Claimant alleged that he obtained a Modern School Leaving Certificate from Blessed Martins Secondary Modern School in 1965 in the same Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Form CF001. In his bid to back up this allegation, the Claimant submitted a Secondary Modern School Leaving Certificate owned by one “Adams Aliu”.
g) The 3rd and 4th Defendants further state that at the Blessed Martins Secondary Modern School, Jattu-Uzairue, it was customary and indeed compulsory for all graduating students of the school for each year to have a group photograph with the principal and staff of the school.
h) The Claimant is not in the group photograph which the graduating students of the school took with the principal and staff of Blessed Martins Secondary Modern School. Jattu-Uzairue in 1965 – the year which the Claimant stated that he graduated from the school. Reliance shall be placed on a copy of the group photograph of the graduating class of 1965 together with the principal and staff of Blessed Martins Secondary Modern School, Jattu-Uzairue. All efforts to trace , the negative version of the printed copy have proved abortive.
i) The Claimant has two birthdays in different years – 1952 and 1953. In his Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Form CF001 referred to in paragraph 13(a) above, the Claimant swore on oath that he was born in 1952 whereas during his inauguration as Governor of Edo State, it was stated in his official citation that he was born in 1953. When the Claimant was given national honour it was stated in his official citation that he was born in 1953. Furthermore, the Claimant’s birthday celebrations have consistently reflected that the Claimant was born in 1953. The 3rd and 4th Defendants shall at trial of this action rely on all relevant documents including invitation cards to the Claimant’s birthday celebrations, news clips of the celebration, paid newspaper advertisement of congratulatory messages of the Claimant on this birthday and the print out of the Edo State website showing that the Claimant was born in the year 1953.
j) The 3rd and 4th Defendants say the Claimant celebration of two different birthday is calculated to deceive both members of the public and INEC.”
It’s is speculated that when Adams Oshiomhole read or was informed of the content of the defendants statement of defense, he tactically abandoned the case.
For 5 consecutive sittings, spanning 6 months of 2018, Adams Oshiomhole kept requesting for adjournments until the judge struck out the case for want of diligent prosecution.
Never before have the defendants in a libel case be more eager to commence trial than the claimant!
CRSDigest
