GBENGA DANIEL DRAGS AMOSUN TO COURT...DEMANDS N500 MILLION FOR DEFAMATION

Former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has taken his successor, Governor Amosun and some of his commissioners to court for what his lawyer called ‘persistent character assassination’. Former Governor, Gbenga Daniel instructed his lawyer to file a N500 million defamation lawsuit at an Abeokuta High Court. Two different lawsuits have been filed by Otunba Gbenga Daniel and his commissioners by their Attorney, Dr. Ope Banwo, a human rights lawyer and public commentator at the Abeokuta High Court.

In the Suits, filed under Suit# AB/152/2012 and AB/154/2012, the former Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel and six commissioners in his former cabinet are seeking N500million damages in a representative class action lawsuit against Governor Amosun for various defamatory statements credited to the governor and some commissioners in his government to the effect that members of his former cabinet were corrupt and fraudulent. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed by Barrister Ope Banwo on their behalf include Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Mr. Sina Kawonise (publisher of Compass Newspaper), Mrs Toni Soboyejo, Dr. Isiaq Kunle Salako, Mr. Raheem Ajayi, Mr. Ifekayode Akinbode and Mr. Deji Kalejaiye. The defendants in the suit also include Governor of Ogun State, Commissioner for Information, Yusuf Olaniyonu and Commissioner for Finance, Kemi Adeosun.


When Barrister Ope Banwo was contacted to give further details of the lawsuit, he declined to provide any details on the lawsuit and refused to comment on why his client was suing a sitting governor for libel. He simply referred us to file freedom of information request with the court if we needed further details. Calls to Otunba Gbenga Daniel and the office of the governor were not answered or returned.

However, a member of the Gbenga Daniel camp who agreed to speak to us under conditions of anonymity said “It is about time somebody challenges Governor Amosun over his careless and defamatory public comments about the past administration in the state. Rather than executing programs for the development of the state, he has spent the last one year rubbishing his predecessor without providing any proof. It is not right to persecute people in the newspapers. If the man is guilty of any fraud, then Amosun should provide the proof of it or otherwise focus on his assignment as current governor”.

Another observer of the politics in Ogun State, Mr. Biodun Gbadebo also opined that “the only defense to this kind of lawsuit is the truth. Now Gbenga Daniel has challenged Ibikunle Amosun to back up his public comments with proof in court and this will provide a very interesting dimension on how to deal with public accusations by a sitting governor against a predecessor. This should be an interesting fight”

It will be recalled that Governor Amosun and several of his commissioners have been making series of public statements since they assume power in Ogun State in which they consistently accused the Gbenga Daniel government of a series of being guilty of fraudulent practices and looting of the government treasury. Gbenga Daniel has warned them through his attorney to desist from making defamatory statements against him and his government or be made to face the wrath of the law. It appears the former governor has finally decided to put some bite into his bark against governor Amosun by suing him and his commissioners for N500 Million in damages for defamation.

The embattled former Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, was recently arraigned by EFCC on several counts of stealing over N43 Billion from the treasury of Ogun State only for the lawsuit to be dismissed by the court for lack of evidence and other procedural error. When the EFCC later refilled the lawsuit, all the allegations of billions of naira were dropped against Gbenga Daniel and he is now being charged with different offences amounting to just about N200million Naira. Gbenga Daniel has voiced his frustration about the persecution against him by the EFCC, and the attempts by the current government of Ogun state to destroy his legacy, through various false utterances and actions. Otunba Gbenga Daniel has consistently maintained his innocence and challenged his accusers to present any proof of wrongdoing.

Culled from Elombah.com