Lawyers clashed on Monday over the admissibility of key documents in the defamation suit filed by former Imo East Senator Chris Anyanwu against former Imo State Governor Ikedi Ohakim.
The hearing took place at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Jabi, Abuja, and focused on copies of a newspaper publication and a press release central to the case.
Mr Ohakim’s counsel, Ken Njemanze, objected to the submission of photocopies of the newspaper article, arguing that the original copies should have been tendered and that no proof of certification had been provided. He also challenged the inclusion of a press statement from Naija News, contending that the electronically generated document lacked a certificate of compliance.
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In response, Adekunle Kosoko, representing Mrs Anyanwu, argued that the newspaper had been properly certified by the National Library and complied with the law. He further cited provisions of the Evidence Act allowing oral certification of press releases through witness statements.
The judge overruled the objection regarding the newspaper publication but reserved judgment on other issues, fixing December 1 for ruling.
Mrs Anyanwu, 73, is seeking N550 million in damages for comments made by Mr Ohakim in a January interview with The Nation newspaper. The former governor allegedly accused her of failing to mention in her book, Bold Leap, that she had apologized to the late military ruler, Sani Abacha, following a coup-related incident. Mrs Anyanwu has consistently denied issuing any apology.
The Nation newspaper, initially named as a co-defendant, has since retracted the interview and issued an apology to Mrs Anyanwu. Her legal team has formally withdrawn the publication company from the suit, and the court has requested that a formal application reflect this development.
Mrs Anyanwu, a former journalist and senator for Imo East from 2007 to 2015, previously faced a military tribunal in 1995 for alleged involvement in a failed coup, receiving a life sentence that was later reduced to 15 years. She was released following the death of Abacha in 1998.