The former Independent Resident Electoral Commission (INEC), Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Mike Igini, has said that the ex-Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state, Col. David Imuse (rtd), was deploying tricks to frustrate the ongoing libel case he instituted against him (Imuse).
It would be recalled that Igini had dragged Imuse before the Edo State High Court over alleged libellous publications authored against him during the 2020 governorship election in the state and demanded N5 billion damages.
Speaking in Benin shortly after the court hearing of the matter, Igini lamented the long period the case had dragged on, adding that the counsel to the 1st defendant (Imuse), was deliberately using antics to frustrate the case.
“This is 2024, a case that was instituted in 2020, this is where we are. Every evil trick has been deployed to delay this case. But, here today, we made a very appreciable progress, given that we have finally closed our case. The 2nd defendant and the 3rd have also closed their cases.
“The 1st defendant has been running away, and as you all know, for almost two years, he failed to file a reply to this matter. And even when he did so, he hid it from our own lawyer and waited until I was done and decided to bring it out.
“And made a continuation of very frivolous, malicious allegations, which of course, he intended, ab initio, to destroy the reputation that I have built over the years. And of course, he had put that on the internet which several years ago was a whimsical province of a physicist, but today, the internet is a common encyclopedia, even for pupils, and that information is there. That is why I have shown this unwavering determination that he must come to this court to prove those damaging allegations, which he has failed to do.” Igini insisted.
Continuing, he said “The wheel of justice grinds gradually, but will come to an end. We don’t bother about the traffic. Whatever period it will take this matter, Col. Imuse must come and prove those allegations against me.”
Igini stated that he had stood on the part of the truth on account of doing the right thing for his fatherland with respect to elections.
“It is clear that a number of people in this state, who were beneficiaries of our standing tall and mighty in the defense of democracy and the rule of law; those who benefitted when I was INEC Commissioner in this state, they collaborated and colluded with Imuse to do what he did, forgetting the fact that here in this state, when Oshiomhole was governor, when I was Commissioner in 2015, this was the only state that the APC the presidential candidate of the APC, the then President Muhammadu Buhari, scored 48 percent in the whole of 11 states of south-south and South-East.
“It was only in this Edo State that the APC had a senatorial seat. It was also in this state that they were controlling the House of Assembly. It was on account of saying that the right thing must be done in this state, that they got gunmen to come to my house in GRA to assassinate me and the governor had to intervene, giving me security for doing the right thing.
“Regrettably, showing evidence of not having a book of remembrance, perhaps, a disease of collective amnesia, the same people who benefitted from my standing tall and mighty with my team of staff in Edo State were the ones who colluded with Imuse,” Igini further lamented.
Reacting to the accusation of employing delay tactics, counsel to the 1st defendant, Osarenkhoe, debunked the claim that he had been the one delaying the matter.
He added that the 1st defendant was ready and had two witnesses to call to testify in support of his defence.
The matter was adjourned to August 2, 2024, for Imuse to enter his defence if he so wished.
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