Court Stops Obasanjo from Publishing Autobiography

An Abuja High Court has restrained a former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, from publishing or having someone publish on his behalf, a new autobiography titled: ‘My Watch’.Justice Valentine Ashi sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja made the restraining order last Friday without according the former president a hearing.

The order was made in favour of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Buruji Kashamu. The application was argued ex-parte by Kashamu's lawyer, Dr Alex Izinyon, SAN.

Iziyon had argued that the content of the book related to issues contained in Obasanjo’s December 2, 2013, letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and former PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, where he (Obasanjo) claimed that Kashamu was allegedly a fugitive, wanted in the United States.

He contended that since the content of the letter was the subject of the libel suit his client filed against Obsanjo, which is still pending before the court, it was wrong for the ex-president to be allowed to proceed to comment on, write books about or make publications on the issue yet to be decided by the court.

Justice Ashi, in a ruling, restrained Obasanjo from either publishing the book or have it published on his behalf by anybody, pending the determination of the main suit still pending before the court.

Source: ThisDAy