THE Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the appeal filed by a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Dakuku Peterside, to challenge the mode of service of court documents in a N6 billion defamation suit involving a former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili.
In a unanimous judgement by a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, Adamu Jauro, who read the lead judgment, said the appeal lacked merit.
Mr Odili had in October 2016 sued Mr Peterside at the Federal High Court in Port-Harcourt, where he claimed the erstwhile NIMASA boss defamed him through a newspaper publication in February 2016. Odili demanded N6 billion compensation from Peterside.
Although Friday’s ruling is an initial victory for Mr Odili, it does not affect the substantive defamation suit which is yet to be decided by the high court.
According to court filings, Peterside was alleged to have said at a press conference that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, had during a victory thanksgiving service, stated that Odili helped him (Wike) to secure the judgement that gave him (Wike) victory.
But Odili described the statement credited to Mr Peterside as false and malicious. He insisted that Wike never said he (Odili) helped him to secure election victory at the apex court.
Odili’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal by Peterside and give judgment in his client’s favour. However, Peterside’s lawyer, Damian Okoro, asked the court to allow the appeal.
