A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Bwari, Abuja, has proceeded with the hearing of Abia State Governor Alex Otti’s N50bn defamation suit against Facebook user and political commentator Hon. Tobias Chukwudi Egeonu, otherwise known as Hon. Toby Chuks, despite the defendant and his legal counsel’s absence.
This defendant and his Counsel, Nnamdi U. Mba, Esq., were not in court when the case came up before Justice A. O. Ebong.
The court record shows that the defence was aware of the hearing date as they participated in the matter when it came up on March 27, 2025.
Justice Ebong, therefore, directed the claimant’s counsel to proceed with the hearing.
Leading Otti’s case, his legal team, which includes Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Sonny Ajala, called Arch. Uche Jude Uche, a schoolmate of the governor, was the first prosecution witness (PW1).
He tendered a copy of an alleged defamatory Facebook post published by the defendant titled, “What Alex Otti Cannot Destroy Does Not Exist.”
The court admitted the publication and other relevant documents into evidence. The matter was then adjourned to December 8, 2025, for cross-examination of PW1, should the defence appear.
The lawsuit stemmed from the Facebook post published by Egeonu on December 8, 2024, in which he accused Governor Otti of financial mismanagement as group managing director of the now-defunct Diamond Bank and alleged corruption as Governor of Abia State.
Otti’s legal team had described the post as “unwarranted online libellous publication from the pits of hell” and “a syndicated tissue of wicked and malicious lies.”
Governor Otti, through his lawyers, demanded a retraction and apology on Facebook and in four national newspapers (ThisDay, The Punch, The Nation, and The National Ambassador), along with N50bn in damages and N150m in legal costs.
After Egeonu failed to comply within seven days of receiving the letter dated December 13, 2024, legal action was initiated against him.
On February 11, 2025, Justice Ebong granted Governor Otti’s application to serve the court processes on Egeonu via electronic means (Facebook and WhatsApp) after confirming that the defendant acknowledged receipt of the demand via WhatsApp on December 14, 2024.
In the case marked FCT/HC/CV/66/2025, Governor Otti is seeking declarations that the social media post caused him reputational damage.
The governor also sought an order restraining Egeonu from making further defamatory statements against him.
