NJC Orders Continuation of N5bn Libel Suit Against Former Edo APC Chairman

The National Judicial Council has issued a clear directive to the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, to return a long-running N5 billion libel case filed by former INEC Commissioner Mike Igini back to the original trial judge.

The suit was initiated by Igini against retired Colonel David Imuse, a former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State. Igini dragged Imuse to court over comments made during a 2020 press conference in Auchi, where Imuse accused him of accepting a bribe from then-Governor Godwin Obaseki to rig the election in his favour.

Igini rejected the claims outright and demanded an immediate retraction and public apology. When none came, he filed a libel suit seeking N5 billion in damages, along with published apologies in national newspapers. Two media organisations—Tribune and The Sun—were also named as co-defendants for publishing the claims.

For years, the case progressed slowly at the Edo State High Court in Benin City. Justice Vestee Eboreime presided over the hearings, but Imuse, the main defendant, failed to present his defence until Igini closed his own case. As the case neared judgment, Imuse requested a fresh trial, citing the judge’s transfer to another division.

Without consulting the other parties, the Edo State Chief Judge granted the request, allowing the matter to restart from scratch. This decision angered Igini, who viewed it as a setback and accused the judge of favouring one side. He took his grievance to the NJC in November 2024, four years after the case began.

At its 109th meeting held in June 2025, the NJC reviewed the petition and ruled that the Chief Judge’s decision amounted to a misuse of discretion. It found that the original petition for a new trial was never shown to the other parties and that restarting the case would unfairly burden the plaintiff and the other two defendants.

The Council then directed that the case should be returned to Justice Eboreime, who had handled the proceedings from the start. The NJC also advised the Chief Judge to act more fairly in future cases, taking into account all parties, not just one.

A formal letter, dated July 18, 2025, was sent to Igini with a summary of the Council’s findings. It confirmed that the case would resume from where it was interrupted, rather than starting over. The NJC’s decision gives Igini a renewed path to pursue justice after years of legal delays.