The former Acting Governor of Kogi State, Chief Clarence Olafemi, has slammed a N50 million suit against the National Human Right Commission for defamation of character and disrespect for human right.
This followed the NHRC’s earlier publication which included the name of Olafemi among those who had engaged in electoral malpractices nine years ago.
Counsel to Olafemi, Temidayo Eseyen, who disclosed this to journalists on Sunday, said his client took the commission to court because the publication was unlawful, illegal and false.
According to him, Olafemi has never been found guilty of any electoral violence and as he has asked the court for perpetual injunction that the commission should not publish such a thing against his client again.
He added that, he also asked for N50m as damages because the publication was defamatory despite the fact that his client was exonerated by an appeal court after the tribunal first indicted him in 2003.
“The appellant court demanded to know if there was any reported case of fracas and there was none. Even the Independent National Electoral Commission, attested to the fact that none of their ballot boxes got missing during the election at the local government
“Therefore the judges unanimously accepted that there was a miscarriage of justice at the lower tribunal. The judges nullified all the judgements of the tribunal and declared Olafemi winner of the election.”
“After nine years why the commission still dwell on a judgement which had been overruled by a superior court and still went ahead to list Olafemi’s name among those who had been involved in electoral malpractices beats anyone’s imagination.”
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