Peterside loses bid to stop N6billion libel suit against him by Peter Odili

A Port Harcourt High Court on Monday dismissed the application by Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), to stop a N6billion libel suit instituted against him by Dr. Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers State.

The former governor alleged that Dr. Peterside, who was also the governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 general elections in Rivers state, defamed his character in a press congress after Governor Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike’s Supreme Court victory where he was quoted to have said that he (Odili) helped Wike to obtain the landmark victory at the apex court.

The presiding Judge and Chief Judge of Rivers state, Hon. Justice Adama Iyayi-Laminkara, in her ruling turned down Dr. Peterside’s application, saying that his claim that he was served notice of the suit through a wrong address did not hold water.

Justice Laminkara said that there was no difference between the address of the defendant and the address where the notice was served and ruled that the court had jurisdiction to hear the suit, thereby, awarded a cost of N40, 000 against the defendant.

After the cross examination of the claimant (Odili) by lead-counsel to Peterside, Rowland Otaru (SAN), the presiding Judge then adjourned further hearing on the suit to February 23, 2017.

In a chat with journalists after the court sitting, the lead counsel to Dr. Peterside said they would take other legal steps to ensure that the Court set aside its October 11, 2016, ruling where it ordered a substituted service to them.
According to the counsel, “our challenge of the Court processes was struck out but that does not matter. The court has its discretion, either to grant or dismiss. That is what the law says. But we will take other steps if desirable. I cannot say that we are going on appeal now. You can see that I continued with cross-examination of the witness.
“We are affected by the decision of the Court. Once a decision is taken, one of the parties must be affected. We were asking that the Court should set aside the proceedings of October 11, 2016. There is no problem about that. The judge has the discretion to grant or to refuse,” he said.

Also speaking with newsmen later, the lead-counsel to Dr. Peter Odili, Kanu Agabi (SAN), expressed the hope that with the dismissal of the application, the suit would proceed in earnest, saying: “In essence, they challenged the jurisdiction of the Court but the judge ruled that the processes were duly served and the case should proceed and we have proceeded with the cross a examination.”