Court Dismisses El-Rufai’s Libel, Defamation Suit against Shehu Sani  

 A Kaduna High Court has dismissed a libel and defamation suit filed by the former Kaduna State Governor,  Mallam Nasir El-Rufai against the former Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna central senatorial district.

The trial judge, Justice HAL Balogun while delivering his judgement, yesterday, dismissed El-Rufai’s suit filed on the ground that it was an abuse of court process.

The judgment was predicated on the fact that the plaintiff filed several suit over the same cause of action before several court in Kaduna State.

The defence counsel, Kimi Livingstone Appah, had initially filed a notice of preliminary objection to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit on the ground that the same case was filed in four different courts in the state.

Addressing journalists after the ruling, he described the ruling as a victory for democracy and freedom of expression.

El-Rufai had in 2018, filed a N2 billion suit against  Sani. He sought reliefs for alleged injuries suffered as a result of “statements” made by Sani. 

The former Kaduna governor, had  said Sani defamed him by referring to him as a “drunk, loose cannon and an embarrassment to President Muhammadu Buhari. The two politicians have over the years been involved in a series of altercations based on their political differences.