Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has fixed November 9, 10 and 13 for the commencement of trial in the N15 billion defamation suit filed by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, against Adeniyi Adeyemi, the purported Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Samira Bature fixed the dates on Thursday following a disagreement between lawyers over Adeyemi’s request for additional time to file his defence.
Adeyemi’s counsel, M.P. Usman, told the court that he filed a memorandum of appearance on October 14 and sought more time to respond to the suit.
However, Gbajabiamila’s lawyers, Kemi Pinheiro and Olukayode Enitan, opposed the request, arguing that Adeyemi had been served with the court documents on July 30 and that the deadline for filing his defence had expired in September.
They urged the court to proceed with the matter without further delay, citing the need to protect the integrity of their client. The lawyers also requested three trial dates to enable Gbajabiamila to present and conclude his case.
Neither Gbajabiamila nor Adeyemi was present in court during Thursday’s proceedings.
The suit followed allegations by Adeyemi that Gbajabiamila demanded a 48 per cent kickback from a N27.3 billion take-off grant allegedly approved for the PFIPC. Adeyemi also alleged that the presidential aide received N400 million through a proxy in connection with the purported agency.
Gbajabiamila has denied the allegations, maintaining in his court filings that he never met or communicated with Adeyemi and did not authorise anyone to demand or receive money on his behalf.
The Chief of Staff is seeking N10 billion in general damages and N5 billion in aggravated damages, alongside N200 million in legal costs. He is also asking the court to compel Adeyemi to publish a retraction and unconditional apology in five national newspapers and on the social media platforms where the allegations appeared for 30 consecutive days.
The controversy surrounding PFIPC intensified after the Presidency disowned the purported agency, while Adeyemi maintained that it existed.
The case is scheduled to proceed on November 9, 10 and 13, when the court is expected to begin hearing the substantive suit.
