The High Court sitting in Port Harcourt will on October 8 deliver ruling over the issue of jurisdiction in the matter between the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus and the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.
The court gave the date after Lai Mohammed had filed several applications challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.
The respondent argued that the matter is meant to be heard in Lagos and not Port Harcourt because the publication was done in Lagos.
DAILY POST reports that after taking submissions of both parties, Chief Judge of Rivers state, Justice Iyayi Lamikanra fixed October 8 for the next hearing with the hope that there will be no new applications.
Speaking with newsmen outside the court room, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Emeka Etiaba who is counsel to the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Secondus said jurisdiction does not matter when a matter is about defamation.
“We have a matter of defamation and they are challenging the jurisdiction of the court. That is lame and they know it because it is unknown to the Law of libel,” Etiaba said.
Recall that the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus slammed a N1.5billion charge of defamation against the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed after his name was published among those who allegedly received funds from the embattled former National Security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
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