A High Court sitting in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has adjourned for ruling in an application for Preliminary Objection (PO), challenging its jurisdiction to hear and determine a matter of defamation filed by the Government of Nasarawa State (GNS) and Governor Abdullahi Sule against Prof Zacharys Anger Gundu, Leader of Tiv Professionals.
GNS and Governor Sule have jointly sued Prof. Gundu over his comments of July 10, 2025. They are claiming One Hundred Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira (N100.5b) in damages and litigation costs. The suit is marked as FCT/HC/CV/3554/2025, with Prof. Gundu as the lone defendant.
However, Prof. Gundu’s team of lawyers, led by Prof Sebastine Hon, SAN, Chief Edward Ashiekaa, SAN, Douglas Pepe, SAN, and T.J Aondo, SAN, have objected to jurisdiction on the ground that the combination of a plaintiff/claimant who has cause of action and the plaintiff/Claimant who has no cause of action in a suit and their claiming of reliefs in that suit for their joint benefit is unknown to law, it is an abuse of court process.
TNT understands that Prof. Hon, SAN, who is leading the defence team, is not only asking the court to dismiss the suit at its threshold by upholding the Preliminary Objection, but also seeking “substantial costs” against GNS and Governor Sule.
Replying to the learned senior counsel to GNS and Governor Sule, Ahmed Raji, SAN, who based his opposition on the Preliminary Objection on the ground that it was technical in nature, Prof Hon, SAN, urged the Court to uphold his Preliminary Objection.
According to Prof Hon, SAN, the issue of jurisdiction attacks the foundation of a matter and cannot be described as technical.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Hamza Mu’azu, having listened to the arguments of both plaintiff and defendant counsel, adjourned for ruling on a date to be communicated to the parties.
