In a motion exparte filed before an Ikeja High Court on Friday, the court granted an accelerated hearing for motion on notice in the case of defamatory and libellous documentary aired on DAAR Communications Plc, owners of the African Independent Television (AIT).
As a result, the accelerated hearing now comes up on Monday 16th March.
Tinubu had earlier threatened to sue the media organisation after it aired a controversial documentary
of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and allegedly painting him in defamatory terms.
Tinubu, through his lawyer, Tunji Abayomi, demanded for stoppage of the documentary, an apology from the media organisation and the sum of N5 billion being cost of damages to his reputation as a result of the documentary.
But in a reply, Daar Communications Plc, through its own lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, demanded N100 billion from Tinubu as cost of damages to its image. It also demanded for a withdrawal of the letter by Tinubu and asked him to apologise through some media organisations.
The AIT had also gone ahead to continue airing the documentary.
In the exparte motion brought before Ikeja High Court by Tinubu’s team of lawyers, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, the APC chieftain sought an order of interim injunction restraining the respondent, AIT whether by itself, agents, privies and or other persons from producing or continuing to broadcast, airing, or continuing to reproduce any defamatory documentary against the applicant which AIT started to broadcast on Sunday 1st March, 2015 and has been repeating on a daily basis since then, pending the airing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction dated 5th March, 2015 filed in this suit.
It was further noted in the motion that paying costs of damages would not adequately compensate the applicant/claimant if this ex-parte order is not granted.
It prayed that the rest of the suit may be extinguished if the ex-parte order is not granted.
Part of the motion stated that “there is real, imminent and urgent threat and danger of continuing to decimate the person and integrity of the applicant by the respondent by continuing to air the offensive broadcast if the ex-parte motion is not granted.
“That unless this application is granted, the defendant will not relent or suspend the broadcast of the said libelous documentary and that it is in the interest of justice to grant this application.
“The legal effect of the filing and notification of the pendency of a law suit under the legal doctrine of lis pendens is that all parties should exercise extreme caution particularly restraint in continuing with the act complained of.”
