The presidency has convinced former head of state General Muhammadu Buhari to settle out of court the libel suit he had initiated against the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Dr Reuben Abati.

Abati had on page 51 of the April 22, 2011, edition of The Guardian newspaper, written an opinion article entitled “For the attention of General Buhari”. In it, he claimed that Buhari made an inciting statement which led to the post-election violence that rocked some parts of the north.

The former presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), however, regarded the publication as defamatory, intended to lower his integrity and to bring him into public ridicule. Buhari consequently dragged Abati and The Guardian to court via suit no. ID/837/2011 and demanded N1billion damages from them.

But in a copy of the Terms of Settlement exclusively obtained by LEADERSHIP SUNDAY and filed before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja, the parties have agreed to settle the matter out of court.

In the terms of settlement dated December 2012 and filed before the administrative judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke, the claimant (Buhari), Mr. Tope Adebayo ( lawyer to Buhari), Abati and Mr. Kunle Sanyaolu (lawyer to The Guardian) signed the terms of settlement. But the lawyer to the firstdefendant (Abati), Dame Carol Ajie, declined to sign the document.

The document quoted the claimant and defendants as having explored the option of amicable settlement of the suit and agreed that, by virtue of the execution of the terms ofsettlement, all issues relating to the suit should be determined.

The parties further agreed that Abati and The Guardian should retract and apologise to Buhari in certain form and contents.

The terms of settlement reads in part: “The claimant (Buhari) and defendants (Abati and The Guardian) have agreed that the defendants should publish a retraction and anapology to the claimant on the Opinion Page of the newspaper, to be printed in reverse lineblack (RLB) within seven days of entering the Consent Terms as the judgment of the court in two editions of The Guardian.

“The claimant and defendants have agreed and resolved that the retraction and apology shall take the following form and contents: ‘Re: For the attention of General Buhari’- On April 22, 2011, The Guardian Newspaper published an article on Page 51 titled ‘For the attention of General Buhari’ where certain allegations were made against General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), GCFR, concerning the 2011 election and General Buhari’s alleged role in the violence emanating from the elections.

“The publication was based on information which we believed to be reliable at that time. Since the publication, however, we now have reason to believe that certain parts of the story were not verified to be correct before the publication.

“We assure General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd),GCFR, of our highest esteem and regret any distress or embarrassment which the said publication may have caused him.

“The claimant and defendants agree that on the execution of these Terms of Settlement, the defendants are discharged from all or any liabilities or obligations arising from the said publication.”

Abati had stirred the hornet’s nest in the said column when he wrote that Buhari made an inciting statement after the 2011 presidential poll thus: “You should never leave polling centres until polls are counted and the winner declared and you should lynch anybody that tries to tinker with the votes.”


http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/44864/2013/01/13/libel_presidency_begs_buhari.html

"Presidency begs" indeed.

"Buhari is a jihadist!", "Buhari is bokoharam", "Buhari is evil!", Buhari this! Buhari that!! They never get tired but when you ask them to offer one reasonable evident to prove these statements, they result to name calling.. Smh. We have many of them here on nairaland, people with little stands, they fall for any trash the government feed them with..

Reno Omokri

Reuben Abati

Doyin Okukpe

Labaran Maku..

Top 4 liars in Nigeria!!!

If they won't beg, they should offer the 1 billion naira jare, that should be something to campaign for 2015 election

Good to read this. Now I hope this will serve a last warning to those who stands to ridicule OUR only true GENERAL still living. God bless the General, God bless Nigeria and may God blast the HATERS of the TRUTH.

Maxymilliano:
Abati had stirred the hornet’s nest in the said column when he wrote that Buhari made an inciting statement after the 2011 presidential poll thus: “You should never leave polling centres until polls are counted and the winner declared and you should lynch anybody that tries to tinker with the votes.”

I don't see anything inciting in what Buhari said, in Edo State, it was 'Rig and Roast' championed by the Comrade governor himself. Was Abati expecting him to have advised his followers to applaud any one caught tinkering with votes

Here we go again....

FRONTPAGE joor


Sai General!

“You should never leave polling centres until polls are counted and the winner declared and you should lynch anybody that tries to tinker with the votes.”

The only viable way to save this Country!

hanging out with new sleazia reno and the 40 laptop monkeys must have convinced abati that the anonymous slander and smears on the internet can be put on pages of national dailies

An opportunity to bash and a score a political point on GEJ is watered down on the pretense of an out of court settlement . .. . Na today

honeric01: If they won't beg, they should offer the 1 billion naira jare, that should be something to campaign for 2015 election

My thought - we need money for campaign. Why should GMB even agree to settlement out of court? That guys should be made to pay through their nose.

Wadeoye:

My thought - we need money for campaign. Why should GMB even agree to settlement out of court? That guys should be made to pay through their nose.

From feelers on Nairaland, GMB is a theif that looted the treasury. Why would he need money from court settlement for campaign? Is GMB now broke?

Sai Buhari......

rman:

From feelers on Nairaland, GMB is a theif that looted the treasury. Why would he need money from court settlement for campaign? Is GMB now broke?

How much is GMB worth? Retardeenho RMAN....

Presidency begs?

Can someone drag Reuben Abati into the National Assembly Complex (Upper or Lower Chambers) and give him the beating of his life? Because it appears that's the Only place in the entire country were human batterying and attempted murder isn't a crime.

Why is the post misleading?there is a difference between beg and convince,they convinced the founder of boko haram to settle out of court simply because he is a broke iddioot and needs money and he agreed. So where did they beg the malu?

Mesico2: Good to read this. Now I hope this will serve a last warning to those who stands to ridicule OUR only true GENERAL still living. God bless the General, God bless Nigeria and may God blast the HATERS of the TRUTH.

Blind follower to a blind leader.

MR ABATI IF YOU CANT DEFEND UR ALLEGATIONS, BETTER RESERVE UR COMMENTS.

goodmike7: Why is the post misleading?there is a difference between beg and convince,they convinced the founder of boko haram to settle out of court simply because he is a broke iddioot and needs money and he agreed. So where did they beg the malu?

A rock is a rock, no matter how many cup of water you slash on it, it won't soften. your small mind is like that of a rock, infact you're a robot with no mind of its own.

goodmike7: Why is the post misleading?there is a difference between beg and convince,they convinced the founder of boko haram to settle out of court simply because he is a broke iddioot and needs money and he agreed. So where did they beg the malu?

Where in the report is exchange of money mentioned as part of the out of court settlement? Obviously, you have comprehension issues.

goodmike7: Why is the post misleading?there is a difference between beg and convince,they convinced the founder of boko haram to settle out of court simply because he is a broke iddioot and needs money and he agreed. So where did they beg the malu?

Whatelse do u want dis man to proof his innocense with Bokoharam? Do u have any evidence indicting him? SMH 4 u...., some of u are living c'ous its ilegal to kill

goodmike7:

Blind follower to a blind leader.

coconut head

Maxymilliano:

I don't see anything inciting in what Buhari said, in Edo State, it was 'Rig and Roast' championed by the Comrade governor himself. Was Abati expecting him to have advised his followers to applaud any one caught tinkering with votes

That's the tragedy. Anything said by Buhari is termed inflammatory while other politicians say similar or even worse things and nobody raises any eyebrow. I remember Tinubu, fielding questions from journalists ahead of 2003 polls that 'if PDP try to rig Lagos elections in 2003, what happened in Darfur would be a child's play to what will happen in Lagos'. If such had come from Buhari, imagine.

maclatunji:

Where in the report is exchange of money mentioned as part of the out of court settlement? Obviously, you have comprehension issues.

Sharrap there!!
So you mean that thief and terrorist will settle out of court without no money exchange involved,then you must be daft,if he were sincere he would have gone ahead with the suit na,you are indeed a daft and blind follower.

This report is misleading and mischievous. How can one reconcile the headline: "Presidency Begs Buhari To Settle Abati Libel Suit Out Of Court"
with the opening statement of the report : "The presidency has convinced former head of state General Muhammadu Buhari to settle out of court the libel suit"

Also how can one reconcile statements such as :
"But the lawyer to the first defendant (Abati), Dame Carol Ajie, declined to sign the document"
with the misleading conclusion that :

"The parties further agreed that Abati and The Guardian should retract and apologise to Buhari in certain form and contents"

How come the counsel of the same person that "begged" for out of court settlement now refuse to sign the out of court settlement document?

How can the parties "agree" when counsel to Abati did not sign the said document?

As far as I'm concerned, this scandalous report by Leadership news is a face saving ploy by Buhari.

As usual, I dont expect the apostles of Buhari to see these GLARING contradictions in the fallacious report.

They have in their characteristic manner, rolled out the drums to celebrate BROWN-ENVELOP-INDUCED and SCANDALOUS report.

Burahi this Buhari that but all the time they have no single evidence that will result in there motive of tarnishing his image.

Up GMB,God bless Nigeria.

Our people do not like the truth, Buhari still remains the only Nigerian former leader that has one house!!! The propaganda against him is because ¨pdp thieves know that he will send all of them to jail if he ever wins the presidency. What Nigerians need most now is to lock the tap, the tap of the Nigerian treasury needs to be locked. This was what Bakare saw that made him to run with Buhari in the last elections. Is Buhari the best out there? No not at all, but if he emerges again as a flagbearer, I think he is worth considering.

GARRI (x7):
Reno Omokri

Reuben Abati

Doyin Okukpe

Labaran Maku..

Top 4 liars in Nigeria!!!

wot abt jonathan and N.I.O?

Jarus:

That's the tragedy. Anything said by Buhari is termed inflammatory while other politicians say similar or even worse things and nobody raises any eyebrow. I remember Tinubu, fielding questions from journalists ahead of 2003 polls that 'if PDP try to rig Lagos elections in 2003, what happened in Darfur would be a child's play to what will happen in Lagos'. If such had come from Buhari, imagine.

Our xtian brothers and sisters in the south are the noise makers especially those from SE. May God save us from them - any statement from northern political activists/leader who are looking to better the lot of their people is termed by our southern brothers as inflammatory.