Former President of nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo has been held for contempt of court for flouting its orders restraining him, from among others, publishing his autobiographyby an Abuja high court in NIGERIA..
Justice Valentine Ashi, in a ruling, gave Obasanjo 21 days, from the day of service of the court?s orders on him, to show cause why he should not be punished for contempt for going ahead to publish the book in spite of the ex-parte interim order made by the court on December 5, and a pending libel suit before the court involving him (Obasanjo).
The judge restrained the former president from further publishing, printing or offering for sale, the book, My Watch, whose content touched on the subject matter before the court.
Justice Ashi also ordered the Inspector General of Police (IG), the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Comptroller of Customs to recover the published book from all book stands, sales agents, vendors, the sea and airports and deposit them with his court?s registrar pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Justice Ashi had on December 5 granted ex-parte interim order, restraining Obasanjo from proceedings with plans to publish the book or having it published for him, and fixed December 10 as the return date.
Despite the court?s order, Obasanjo reportedly held a public presentation of the book on Tuesday in Lagos, arguing that the book had been published before the court was misled into making the order.
On December 10 2014,, the judge took arguments from lawyer to the plaintiff/applicant, Alex Iziyon (SAN) and defendant/respondent’s lawyer Rilwan Okpanachi on the plaintiff?s motion for interlocutory injunction, the defendant?s counter-affidavit and motion for an order to vacate the earlier granted interim order.
Ruling, Justice Ashi held that it was wrong for Obasanjo to have proceeded to publish the book despite the fact that a libel suit, whose subject matter formed part of the content of the book, was still pending before the court and that the order he made on December 5 was still pending.
He further held that it was immaterial that the book was published before the interim order was made. He said Obasanjo ought not to have published the book because he was aware of the part-heard libel suit relating to the letter he wrote to President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Buruji Kashamu of being a fugitive wanted in the United States.
He held thus: ?The fact that the book was published in November is irrelevant. As long as the substantive suit is not yet determined, no party is entitled to publish or comment on material facts that are yet to be decided on by the court.
from frank owusu obimpeh .
