Court hearing into the one billion Naira suit instituted by the Amayanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, King ATEKE TOM against eight chieftains of the All Progressive Congress in Rivers State in the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has again suffered delay.
When the matter came up for pre-conference trial, counsel to two defendants in the matter, TUDURU EDEH prayed the court to withdraw process file for the fifth defendant because of an error made during filing.
EDEH told the court that he had entered the name of the fifth respondent in error in the process filed instead of the name of the fifth respondent who he said is his client and thereby requested the court to allow him some time to correct it.
The trial Judge, Justice CONSTANCE GREEN after listening to the arguments from representatives in the matter especially the claimant’s counsels GRANVILLE ABIBO and his colleague JOHN KALIPA who expressed concerns over what they called delay tactics, cautioned the parties against any other process that could lead to further delay in hearing of the suit.
Justice GREEN thereafter adjourned the case to the 1st of August 2018 for clearing of all pending motions to make way for hearing proper.
Speaking outside the court, counsel to the claimant, Chief JOHN KALIPA expressed worries that the process is being deliberately delayed by the defence counsel, as hearing in the matter would have ordinarily commenced.
On his part, counsel to two APC defendants, TUDURU EDEH disagreed with the position of the counsel to the claimant, stressing that what was happening was a court process which needed to be attended to.
Recall that King Ateke Tom instituted the suit against Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Tonye Princewill, Honourable Asita and others for defamation during a pro-SARS rally in Port Harcourt in 2017.
Our correspondent reports that like every other time, the council of traditional rulers stormed the court in solidarity over ATEKE’s defamation lawsuit.
