PEPC: FG sues bloggers for publishing false allegations against Fashola

By Innocent Raphael

The Federal Government has initiated legal proceedings against blogger Ibezim Chike Victor, who alleged that former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, authored the judgments of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) dismissing petitions from the Labour Party (LP) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Victor, purportedly implicated in the reports, appeared for arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja, facing six charges under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/434/2023 as he stands accused of criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, and defamation.

The charges allege that on or about August 5, 2023, in Abuja, Ibezim, along with Jackson Udeh, Nnamdi Emmanuel Ibezim, and Reportera.ng (a body corporate), who are currently at large, committed the offense.

The trio were further accused of criminally conspiring and jointly agreeing to publish defamatory false allegations on their online social media platform, reportera.ng news, against the former minister; an offense said to be punishable under Section 27(1)(b) of the Cyber-crime Prohibition, Prevention Act 2015, among other counts.

The charges read in part:

“That you Ibezim Chike Victor, male with Jackson Udeh, Nnamdi Emmanuel Ibezim and Reportera.ng (body corporate) now at large on or about 05/08/2023 at Abuja, did commit an illegal Act to wit: criminal conspiracy; when you jointly agreed to publish a defamatory statement of false allegations in your online social media, the reportera.ng news, against His Excellency Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, CON, without justification, you thereby commit offence punishable under Section 27(1)(b) of the Cyber-crime Prohibition, Prevention Act 2015.

“That you Ibezim Chike Victor, male, with Jackson Udeh, Nnamdi Emmanuel Ibezim and Reportera.ng (body corporate) now at large on or about 05/08/2023 at Abuja, did commit illegal Act to wit: Cyber stalking against His Excellency Hon. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, CON, the immediate past Honourable minister for Works and Housing, false allegation through reportera.ng online news.

“That Nigeria Army takes siege of his Excellency Fashola’s Abuja residence, restrict movement to and fro the former Minister of Works and Housing, amidst the scare of a possible miscarriage of justice at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) and with Fashola’s rumoured involvement in drafting a controversial verdict to throw out the case of opposition parties LP and PDP.”