Court sets June 19 for hearing in Chris Anyanwu’s ‘defamation’ suit against Ohakim

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court has fixed June 19, 2025, for hearing in the “defamation” suit filed by Chris Anyanwu, former Imo senator, against Ikedi Ohakim, the ex-governor of Imo state.

The suit, filed on March 14, 2025, also has Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspaper, as the second defendant.

According to court documents, Anyanwu alleged that Ohakim made defamatory statements about her during an interview published by The Nation on January 12, 2025.

The former senator described the comments as “false and damaging”, adding that she promptly issued a press statement to refute the claims and, through her solicitors, demanded a public retraction from Ohakim.

Anyanwu, who is seeking N550 million in damages, also prayed the court to compel Ohakim to retract the statements and publish a full-page apology in The Sun and The Nation newspapers.

The case was first mentioned on May 6 and scheduled to begin trial on Tuesday, June 17.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Anyanwu was represented by Adekunle Kosoko, while U.C. Njemanze-Aku appeared for Ohakim.

Kosoko informed the court that he was ready to proceed and had witnesses present, including one who travelled from Lagos.

However, the defence counsel requested a short adjournment due to the senior counsel’s ill-health.

Objecting, Kosoko argued that the defence had been in possession of the witness statements for over a month and should have been prepared to proceed with cross-examination.

He prayed the court to award costs should the adjournment be granted, citing expenses incurred in bringing the witness to court.

In response, Njemanze-Aku explained that her principal (lead counsel) was scheduled to attend but was “indisposed”.

While the witness could give evidence-in-chief, she still sought an adjournment to allow the lead counsel to personally cross-examine the witness.

Following arguments from both sides, M.I. Sani, the presiding judge, granted a short adjournment to June 19 with no cost was awarded.

The judge also directed the claimant’s counsel to serve a hearing notice on the second defendant, Vintage Press Ltd., which was absent from the proceedings.