Two years ago, Senator Obanikoro was alleged to have been the mastermind behind a plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the Ekiti State gubernatorial elections in favour of Governor Ayo Fayose. Eventually, the PDP won the polls but it was alleged that the party used the Nigerian Army to harass political opponents and prevent the elections from being conducted in a free and fair manner.
Senator Obanikoro has denied the allegations and seeking to prevent further investigations of his role in the plot, he filed a suit before the Lagos High Court in Ikeja asking it to prevent the publication of an audio recording implicating him. However, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye rejected the application, ruling that Senator Obanikoro failed to place enough material facts before the court to warrant granting such a request.
In filing the application, Senator Obanikoro claimed that the defendants had through the publication caused him various political and personal losses. He had sought an interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants from further publishing the audio recording which he described a harmful material pending the determination of his main suit.
However, Justice Ipaye ruled: “There is nothing before the court that shows the applicant will suffer more harm if the injunction is not granted. It is an error to seek to restrain a publisher of an article on the grounds of libel if there is no proof before the court that such material is libellous.
The judge then adjourned further hearing in the case while she ordered the defendants to put in their responses. In the main suit, Senator Obanikoro is seeking, among other things, an order of the court compelling the defendants to retract all the damaging news publications via a letter of apology on their various platforms.
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