Hon. Justice Iyabo Akinkugbe of an Ikeja high court, Tuesday June 30, adjourned
the suit to September 30, for further direction on the court processes served
by counsel to both parties in the suit.
LEADERSHIP makes reference to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
that Tinubu had instituted the suit against Daar Communications Plc, owners
of AIT, for airing of a documentary titled ‘lion of Bourdilion’, where he alleged
that the documentary was libelous and aimed at tarnishing his image.
Counsel to AIT, Mr Jeffery Kadiri, during the hearing on Tuesday, told the court
that he had filed all the necessary pleadings in the matter and in his response,
Tinubu’s counsel, Mr Ademola Adesiyun, asked the court in a motion dated
June 26 for extension of time in which to file a reply to AIT’s statement of
defence and counter-claim.
AIT listed its chairman emeritus, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Namure Edoimioya,
Chief Medan Tenke, Ajibola Adewusi, Olumide Idowu, Chief Stanley Odidi, an
engineer, Mr Nwabueze and Dr Stanley Bassey, as witnesses in the case.
The television station denied every allegation of facts as contained in the
claimant’s amended statement of claim, with Dokpesi averring that Tinubu’s
claim was founded on a non-existent ground because the said documentary
was not titled ‘The Lion of Bourdilion’, but ‘Unmasking the Real Tinubu’.
AIT also claimed that, as a member of the fourth estate of the realm, was
empowered by Section 22 of the Constitution to at all times, hold those in
government accountable and responsible to the people of Nigeria, while their
boss further affirmed that the content of the documentary were facts which
had been in the public domain for over two decades.
Naij
