Kashamu withdraws N20bn libel suit against Obasanjo

Ogun-East senator in the National Assembly, Buruji
Kashamu, has withdrawn a N20.1bn libel suit he
instituted against former President Olusegun Obasanjo
before a Federal Capital Territory court in Abuja.
It was learnt that the presiding judge, Justice Valentine
Ashi, struck out the suit on May 26, 2015, following the
notice of discontinuance of the suit filed by the plaintiff.
Kashamu, a Peoples Democratic Party chief in Ogun
State, was said to have anchored his decision to
withdraw the suit on “an ongoing settlement talks”
between him and Obasanjo.
But the lawyers who are representing the former
President in the suit said they were not aware of such
talks.
Kashamu had on February 6, 2014, sued Obasanjo for
“maliciously and recklessly” publishing a letter titled,
‘Before it is too late,’ addressed to former President
Goodluck Jonathan in December 2013.
The newly-inaugurated senator had asked the court to
award him N20bn as aggravated and exemplary
damages, and another N100m against Obasanjo for
maliciously portraying him as a fugitive wanted for
drug- related offences in the United States of America.
Kashamu had already called two of his three proposed
witnesses before he decided to withdraw the suit.
The two witnesses who had appeared before the court,
Haruna Rasheed and Omotayo Alade-Fawole, testified
that the publication of Obasanjo’s letter in the media
portrayed Kashamu in a bad light and destroyed their
long years of business relationship with him.
But before he could call his third witness, Kashamu on
December 5, 2014, moved the court to grant an order
restraining Obasanjo from going ahead with the public
presentation of his book, “My Watch.”
Kashamu had anchored the prayer on the grounds that
the book touched on the subject matter of the libel suit.
But Obasanjo had shunned the court order and went
ahead to present the book in Lagos on December 9,
2014.
The plaintiff, however, returned to court on December
10, to report that Obasanjo had flouted the December 5
court order.
Justice Ashi, in a ruling, held that Obasanjo was in
contempt of court for flouting his order and directed the
various security agencies to seize the copies of the
books wherever they were found.
The judge also gave Obasanjo 21 days to show cause
why he should not be punished for contempt.
The judge later lifted all orders against Obasanjo in a
ruling delivered in April following counter arguments by
Obasanjo’s lawyer, Mahmud Magaji (SAN).
Proceedings were to resume on the main libel case,
when Kashamu brought an application for the
withdrawal of the suit.