A State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Justice Augusta Chukwu has adjourned till 27th June, for hearing in the motion for a stay of execution of an interlocutory injunction filed by Professor Chidi Odinkalu and Aisha Osori.
Peter Odili had sought an interlocutory injunction to stop further publication and distribution of the book written by Professor Odinkalu and Ms Osori titled: “Too Good to Die” which he claimed to be libellous.
In the defamation charges prepared for Odili, the former governor said he took note of excerpts of the book in which the authors narrated how late politician, Harry Marshall, was assassinated soon after they publicly fell out with each other in 2003.
The book cited a letter which Marshall had written to the police in Rivers at the time, expressing strong concerns about a growing spate of intimidation and violent attacks against members of the All Nigeria’s Peoples Party (ANPP) in the state.
The book also painted vivid details of how Odili helped bankroll the third term agenda which Obasanjo pushed to perpetuate himself in power beyond the 2007 expiration of his constitutionally-approved two terms of eight years.
“Most of the cash distributed in support of the project were wrapped in bundles bearing the stamp of First Inland Bank. Unknown to most people, First Inland Bank’s history lay buried in networks of loyalty between some of the most influential leaders of the ruling party, including President Obasanjo himself,” the authors wrote on page 162.
“The corporate trail however disclosed a deep financial bond between the president, Senator Ararume and the governments of Bauchi and Rivers States, then ruled, respectively, by two of President Obasanjo’s closest governorship acolytes, Adamu Muazu and Peter Odili, who were at the centre of shadowy, complex, unlawful and, almost certainly, criminal financial operations behind third term,” the authors added.
Counsel to Dr Odili, Kanu Agabi made an application for an interlocutory injunction concerning the book and in her ruling on the application, Justice Augusta Chukwu, restrained the co-authors of the book from further publication of the book under litigation which allegedly defamed the character of Dr Odili.
However, counsel to the two co-authors, Barrister Idaye Opi, filed a motion for stay of execution of the interlocutory injunction by the court.
The court had earlier adjourned to June 17 to hear the defence counsel’s motion for stay of the interlocutory injunction but when the matter came up in court on June 17, the defence counsel was absent but sent in a letter to ask for a postponement which the presiding judge granted and adjourned the case to June 27 for hearing of defence counsel’s motion for stay of interlocutory injunction.
Dr Peter Odili and his legal team were present in court on June 17 for the hearing of the motion.
