A High Court in Bauchi has today, Thursday, 16/02/2023, adjourned hearing on a defamation suit filed by the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar in the 2023 elections to 2nd March, 2023.
The newspaper publisher who was arrested last year in Egypt and handed over to Nigerian security agents, had some time in April last year published a story, alleging that the APC gubernatorial candidate is financing his campaign activities from diverted monies meant for the procurement of weapons to fight insecurity.
Thus, the defamation suit was instituted by the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, retired Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, against the Desert Herald newspaper.
The retired chief of the Nigerian Air Force had approached the court, through his counsel Barrister U. B. Darazo prayed the court to ask the defendants to prove that the plaintiff diverted monies from public coffers, which he now uses to fund his campaign activities.
At today’s hearing, counsel to the plaintiff presented a witness, Abubakar Al-Sadique, a political journalist and political associate of the APC gubernatorial candidate.
Giving his testimony, the principal witness told the court that the publication in question has seriously lowered the integrity of the retired air force boss who is seeking to be elected governor of Bauchi State in the eyes of the public.
The defendants, Desert Herald newspaper and their counsels were absent in the court today.
The court has therefore adjourned to March 2nd 2023 for further hearing.