Abia State Governor Alex Otti has instituted a ₦5 billion defamation suit against the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Uche Aguoru, over alleged defamatory statements.
The suit, filed before the High Court of Abia State, Umuahia Judicial Division, is marked HU/126/2026, with Governor Otti listed as the claimant and Aguoru as the defendant.
The legal action stems from social media posts allegedly published by Aguoru, which the governor claims contained false and damaging allegations against him.
Governor Otti is being represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Kenneth Ahia.
According to the court documents, Aguoru allegedly accused the governor of corruption, diversion of public funds, abuse of office, political inducement, interference in the affairs of another political party and judicial intimidation.
Otti described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory, urging the court to declare the publications defamatory and order the defendant to retract the statements and issue an unreserved public apology.
The governor is also asking the court to restrain Aguoru from making similar publications in the future and to award him ₦5 billion in damages, in addition to the cost of the suit.
Reacting to the development, Aguoru confirmed that he had been served with the lawsuit.
He said his legal team had already responded to the court notice, describing the case as an attempt by the governor to silence opposition voices ahead of the forthcoming elections.
BACKSTORY:
The legal dispute comes amid growing political tension in Abia State ahead of the next election cycle, with the ruling administration and opposition parties increasingly trading accusations over governance and political activities.
According to the court filings, the case arose from a series of social media publications allegedly made by Uche Aguoru, the Abia State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The posts reportedly accused Governor Alex Otti of corruption, diversion of public funds, abuse of office, political inducement, interference in the affairs of another political party and judicial intimidation.
Governor Otti has rejected the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory, arguing that they have damaged his reputation. He is asking the High Court of Abia State to order a retraction and public apology, restrain Aguoru from making similar statements in the future and award ₦5 billion in damages. Aguoru, however, has confirmed receiving the suit and insists it is an attempt to silence opposition voices, saying his legal team has already responded to the court action.
