Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state has applied to withdraw the case he filed against Jaafar Jaafar, publisher of an online newspaper, Daily Nigerian.
Ganduje had dragged Jaafar to court over a story where he was purportedly seen stuffing foreign currencies in his pocket.
The governor had asked the court to declare that “the act of publishing and circulating libelous statements, false video clips on online media, attacking and impugning the character and integrity of the Plaintiff amounts to defamation of character of the Plaintiff by the Defendants.”
However, in an application to the Kano State High Court dated the 28th day of June 2021, Ganduje’s lawyers, led by Chief E.O.B Offiong, SAN, sought the following orders from the court:
“An order granting leave to the Plaintiff/Applicant to discontinue his claims in Suit No K/519/2018 against the defendant before this Honourable Court.
“An order discontinuing Plaintiff/Applicant’s claims in Suit No K/519/2018 against the Defendant in this Honourable Court.
“And for such further or other Order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance of this case.
The application was supported by a 4-paragraph affidavit deposed to by C. N. Obile, Esq. who said in paragraph 3 (c) and (d) that “the matter is yet to proceed to trial and the Plaintiff/Applicant now intends to discontinue this action before this Honourable Court.
“That by the Rules of this Honourable Court, where a defence has been filed and a plaintiff wishes to discontinue his action, leave of court is required to discontinue, hence this Application.”
The case has been fixed for the 6th of July, 2021.
