Fayemi sues Ekiti ex-commissioner for defamation, demands N500m

A former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has filed a N500m suit against a former Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr Kayode Otitoju, and Arise Television for alleged defamation and malicious airing of offending broadcast against him.

In the suit, HAD/10/2023, filed before an Ekiti State High Court on January 25, 2023, Fayemi is demanding N250m from Otitoju and another N250m Arise TV for alleged defamation statements made by the politician as an analyst on the television station on November 22, 2022.

According to the Writ of Summons of the suit made available to journalists on Sunday, Fayemi through his lawyer, Mr Babatunde Oke, is demanding a retraction of the defamatory statements aired against him by the first defendant (Otitoju) while appearing as an analyst on Newsday, a programme of the second Defendant (Arise TV).

The former governor is also demanding a public apology which must be published in at least three national newspapers in Nigeria and posted on the internet/social media.

He is also seeking leave of the court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from making similar or further defamatory statements or publications against him while also demanding N20 million cost of the suit from them and as well 10 per cent interest on the judgment sum from the date the judgment is delivered until the judgment sum is finally liquidated.

Fayemi averred that he had been exposed and subjected to “unwarranted public ridicule, odium, opprobrium, embarrassment and unprecedented disrepute” on account of defendants’ untrue and reckless malicious statements, which he described as mere fabrication and falsehood orchestrated to paint him black and taint his good image and record as an upright man and to destroy his future political career.

He alleged that Otitoju made several grievous and damaging allegations against his person on the said programme, where he allegedly described him (Fayemi) as “the problem we have in Ekiti.”

These, he said, included accusing Fayemi of colluding with Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti Judicial Division to perpetrate perversion of justice in the suit filed by an All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant, Mr Kayode Ojo, against the governorship primary victory of Mr Biodun Oyebanji on January 27, 2022.