By INNOCENT ANABA
An Ogun State High Court, Shagamu, has adjourned till May 31, further hearing in the N1 billion libel suit by the former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel against two of his former political associates.

Trial judge is Justice E. Osinuga. Defendants in the suit are former chairman of Ijebu-East Local Government Area, Tunde Oladunjoye and Daniel’s former Chief Press Secretary, Wale Adedayo.

The court, before adjourning the matter, had granted Daniel’s application for substituted service on the defendants. The court also ordered that the defendants be served either personally or by pasting on their known residence or through newspaper advertisement.

Daniel, in the suit, is asking the court to order defendants to pay him N500 million each as compensation over their alleged role in an alleged libelous publication against him.

He is contending that their strained relationship led the defendants to defection to the opposition party and resorted to publication of offensive and injurious articles against him, especially through on-line network publications, which was calculated to damage his reputation and lower his estimation in the eyes of right-thinking members of the public.

He argued: “The defendants resorted to massive media onslaught against me by publishing false, malicious, and unsubstantiated stories against me with the malicious intent of doing incalculable damage to my reputation.”