Ondo finance commissioner, brother sue 35 APC elders over alleged libel

By Boye Oyeyemi

Ondo State Commissioner for Finance, Omowunmi Isaac, and her brother, Kunle Odide, have filed a libel suit against 35 leaders of the All Progressives Congress before the Ondo State High Court in Akure.

The case came up on Tuesday before Justice Yemi Fasanmi, who granted the claimants’ application to amend defects in their court processes and awarded costs of ₦100,000 against them in favour of each of the 35 defendants, bringing the total award to ₦3.5 million.

The defendants had indicated their intention to challenge the court’s jurisdiction and the competence of the suit through a preliminary objection before the claimants sought to regularise their processes, while former Ondo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adekola Olawoye (SAN), appeared for himself and several other defendants alongside separate counsel representing the others.

Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Olawoye said the dispute arose from a letter he personally wrote to the National Chairman of the APC to draw attention to developments within the party in their local government, insisting that the communication was never circulated publicly.

He said the defendants also honoured an invitation by the Inspector-General of Police’s Special Team in Abuja over the matter, adding that they were allowed to return home after making their statements.

Meanwhile, Olawoye said the defendants remained open to an amicable settlement and urged party members to close ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that internal disagreements should not undermine the APC’s electoral prospects.

Counsel for the claimants, Olaoluwa Imoru, however, said the suit arose from an allegedly defamatory publication authored by the defendants and published in the Nigerian Tribune on February 2, 2026, seeking a declaration that the publication was defamatory, damages, and an order compelling the defendants to publish a retraction and apology.

Justice Fasanmi subsequently adjourned the case until Oct. 8, 2026, for further proceedings after Imoru argued that one of the statements in the publication falsely portrayed the commissioner as exercising undue influence over Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, a claim he said had damaged her reputation.