Justice Valentine Ashi of an Abuja High Court at Wuse Zone 2, yesterday, gave former President Olusegun Obasanjo 21 days to show cause why he should not be punished for disregarding a subsisting court order that restrained him from publishing his newly released autobiography entitled ‘My Watch’.

The high court, at its resumed sitting yesterday, held that the ex-president acted in clear breach of its order, an action it said was tantamount to contempt.

Justice Ashi was visibly irked by the general conduct of former President Obasanjo with regard to the N20 billion libel suit instituted against him by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South-West, Mr. Buruji Kashamu.

Consequently, the court directed that Obasanjo should within 21 days from the day of the service of its order on him, adduce reasons why he should not be sanctioned for flouting its interim order dated December 5, even as it ordered security agencies in the country to promptly retrieve copies of the book from book stands.

More so, Justice Ashi restrained Obasanjo from further publishing, printing or offering for sale, the book, ‘My Watch’, which content touches on the subject matter of the suit pending before him.

The order followed Kashamu’s ex-parte application which was moved before the court by his lawyer, Dr. Alex Iziyon, SAN.

While delivering his ruling on the matter, Justice Ashi specifically restrained ex-President Obasanjo from either publishing the book or have it published on his behalf by anybody, pending the determination of the substantive suit before him.

– Source – www.vanguardngr.com