Kalu, The Sun, slam N2billion libel suit on The Nation, Omatseye

Former governor of Abia State, who is also the publisher of the Sun Newspapers titles, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has sued the Chairman, Editorial Board of the The Nation Newspapers for alleged libel.
Joined in the N2billion suit, which has the Sun Publishing Limited as co-claimant, was the Vintage Press Limited, owners of The Nation newspapers, where Omatseye also doubles as a columnist.
In the suit No: ED/1276GCMW/15, filed at the High Court of Lagos State, Kalu and Sun Publishing Company (claimants) averred that Omatseye maligned them in his articles of 12 October 2015 with the title ‘Kalu for FIFA President’ and that of 19 October 2015 titled ‘Shadows of a Setting Sun.’
In the statement of claim signed by their lawyers, Chief Charles Enwelunta and Co, the claimants stated that the 1st defendant (Omatseye) “is in the habit of using his said column to fight perceived enemies, malign persons and personalities, defame persons that he considers enemies of his principals and impugn the characters of innocent persons as meted to claimants in this suit.”
Kalu stated that the articles authored by Omatseye and published by the 2nd defendant portrayed him as ‘an illiterate and a person who is not capable of writing and maintaining a column as well as ‘not capable of expressing himself in English Language as he does not know the difference between a verb and a noun.’
“Further to the publication aforesaid, the defendants also published the picture of the 1st claimant very consciously and beside the libelous publication with recklessness clearly indicating to the whole world the person and identity of 1st claimant.”
The 1st claimant, an eminent businessman with diverse investments spanning publishing, oil and gas, banking, furniture making and many others, averred that Omatseye’s articles have impacted negatively on him and on the business fortune of the 2nd claimant.
“Defendants made the publications aforesaid with the intention and actually made persons who know the claimants both in Nigeria and abroad to shun them, and making 1st claimant lose business partners and colossal business deals even as 2nd claimant lost several readers and patronages both in sales and advertisements on account of the story aforesaid.
“Claimants aver that the story aforesaid impacted negatively upon their integrity and reputation, the 2nd claimant business reputation got to the lowest ebb and reasonable men of the society started disregarding 2nd claimant as they believed that 1st claimant imposes stories on 2nd claimant even if the story is not true