The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal has upheld the dismissal of a N1.5bn libel suit instituted by a former Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime, against The Guardian Newspaper and Chief Okechukwu Ezea, his opponent in the 2007 gubernatorial election.

The appellate court, in a lead judgement delivered by Justice Rita Pemu on Friday, said  Justice Kazeem Alogba of the Lagos State High Court, was right in  dismissing Chime’s libel suit for lack of merit.

?The former governor had instituted the suit claiming damages in the sum of N1.5bn from Ezea  and The Guardian Newspapers Ltd.

Chime had alleged that  Ezea defamed him  through a publication on page seven of  The Guardian Newspaper of August 14, 2007.

According to Chime, Ezea had defamed him by  publishing in the newspaper that he had  plotted to kill him.

Ruling on the suit, Justice Alogba of the lower court, had however, dismissed the suit for lack of merit and awarded a cost of N100, 000 against Chime.

Read more at http://www.punchng.com/news/ex-governor-losses-n1-5bn-libel-suit-against-guardian/