Nasir El-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State, has sued Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna Central, for defamation.
El-Rufai is seeking a N2 billion sanction from the lawmaker for four charges, one of which is defamation of character.
He filed the suit at the state high court on Friday, February 23, 2018, a report by Punch newspaper indicates.
The governor is seeking compensation for injury allegedly suffered as a result of “the malicious statements” allegedly made by the senator through the mass media to humiliate him and defame his integrity by calling him a drunk, loose cannon and an embarrassment to Muhammadu Buhari, the president of Nigeria.
The governor is seeking, among other reliefs, a declaration that the derogatory remarks made against him by Senator Sani was totally false and injurious to his person in the eyes of the public.
The counsel to the governor, AbdulHakeem Mustapha, while speaking with journalists, said each of the four actions attracts the sum of N500 million.
Mustapha also dismissed insinuations that Mr. El-Rufai, by virtue of his position, did not have the constitutional right to sue anyone.
The two politicians have over the years been involved in series of altercations based on their political differences.
Reacting to the demolition of a building belonging to a faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Kaduna State on Tuesday, Mr. Sani had called on President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the governor.
“It is of concern to us that these actions by the governor have been done in the name of Mr. President who he believed that he is his son that he so much loves. Governor Nasir El-Rufai is an affliction to the people of Kaduna State and a curse to us.
“We will use this opportunity to call on Mr. President to caution his beloved son who has unleashed a reign of terror and has behaved in the most despicable and irresponsible way,” he said.
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