Chike Ibezim faced legal battle as the Federal Government arraigned him for purportedly defaming former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.
Alongside two others, Ibezim stands accused of spreading falsehoods suggesting Fashola’s involvement in shaping the judgment of the presidential election petition court in favor of Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, amidst petitions by the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party.
In a session held on Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Ibezim faced a six-count charge for disseminating these allegedly baseless claims against Fashola on social media platforms. Among these charges, count one pointedly accused Ibezim of engaging in criminal conspiracy, specifically by jointly orchestrating the publication of defamatory statements against Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, CON, through the online platform reportera.ng, without any substantiated grounds. This action, as per the charge, is punishable under Section 27(1)(b) of the Cyber-crime Prohibition, Prevention Act 2015.
Presiding over the proceedings, Judge Bolaji Olajuwon deferred further deliberations to April 15, scheduling a continuation of the trial.
In response to the allegations, Fashola vehemently refuted any involvement, denouncing the accusations as both unfounded and libelous. He went on to label those responsible for the claims as “instigators of unrest,” firmly distancing himself from the controversy.
The legal battle surrounding these allegations underscores the gravity of spreading unverified information, especially when it pertains to public figures, emphasizing the importance of accountability in social media discourse.
