Mr. Silas Joseph Onu is set to challenge the suit filed by the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai before the FCT High Court, alleging defamation.
The Kaduna State Governor had earlier instituted three separate suits against former media aide to former President, Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri; ex-Chairman of the Council of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu, Thisday newspaper, Daniel Elombah, Elombah Communications, Barrister Joseph Onu and Auta Nyada over his dis-invitation to speak at the 2020 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, alleging defamation.
Meanwhile, in one of the suits filed against Silas Joseph Onu and Auta Nyada, in suit no: CV/3133/2020, the Governor stated that a letter written by Jossph Onu and dated August 19, 2020, titled: “Request to withdraw the offer of platform at the 2020 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Malam Nasir El Rufai” addressed to Prof. Koyinsola Ajayi, SAN, in his capacity as the Chairman, Technical Committee on Conference Planning (TCCP) Nigerian Bar Association and copied to Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, Chairman, Board of Trustee, Nigerian Bar Association and Mr. Olumide Akpata, the then President-Elect of the NBA and published in the media, is “defamatory and greatly injurious to the reputation of the claimant.”
However, in response to the suit, Mr. Silas has filed a conditional memorandum of appearance dated 15th day of December 2020 against the suit.
The memorandum which was filed by his solicitors, Pitcher & Courts LP is a suggestion that the Defendant is entering the appearance in the suit on protest.
The practice is that once a defendant has been served with a Writ of Summons, he is expected to file a memorandum of appearance before he can properly defend the action.
However, in the event that the defendant is challenging or protesting against the suit, he is to file a “conditional memorandum of appearance” or “memorandum of conditional appearance”.
This signifies that upon the hearing of the suit, he intends to raise an objection.
Consequently, Mr. Silas Onu by his conditional memorandum of appearance, he is apparently protesting the suit filed by the Kaduna State Governor.
thenigerialawyer
