Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje has withdrawn his N3billion defamation suit against Daily Nigerian and its publisher Jafar Jafar over ‘Gandollar videos’, showing the governor receiving dollar bribes.
A Kano High court on Tuesday ordered the governor to pay N800,000 for expenses incurred by Jafar Jafar and his company, Penlight Media Limited.
Ganduje sued both Jafar and his company in November 2018, over the videos.
The videos styled ‘Gandollar videos’ in social media went viral and embarrassed the governor, months to 2019 election.
When the case came up on Tuesday, lawyers for the plaintiff and respondents argued as to whether the case was for mention or hearing.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Offiong Offiong SAN, had filed an application for motion on notice dated June 28, seeking to withdraw the N3 billion defamation suit he filed against the respondents.
“We rely on order 23 rule 4 and 3 of the rule of the court, supported by a written address to discontinue the suit”.
Counsel to the first respondent, U Eteng, and Muhammad Dan’azumi, for the second respondent, argued that hearing on the application seeking to discontinue the suit by the plaintiff was not ripe and urged the court to strike out the application.
Eteng had similarly filed a four-paragraph counter affidavit and a written address dated July 1, to amend the statement of defense and add the respondent’s counter claim.
He urged the court to grant the first respondent the sum of N100 million and the second respondent N300 million as costs of necessary expenses of filing the affidavit, among others.
“Daily Nigerian has gone through stress for four years. We need a written apology to be published in the national dailies and pre-action letter by the plaintiff”, the counsel said.
In his ruling, Justice Suleiman NaMalam, discontinued the suit, with number K/519/2018 and the statement of claim against the respondents.
He ordered the plaintiff Ganduje to pay the two respondents N400,000 each as costs for necessary expenses
