When former President Olusegun Obasanjo embarked on his seemingly innocuous exercise of the latest literary project, ‘My Watch’, little did he know that his work would ignite the current judicial fireworks that has squared him against the Bench.
A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Buruji Kashamu, had approached the court on December 5 and Justice Valentine Ashi granted the exparte injunction stopping Obasanjo from publishing the book.
Kashamu argued that the letter written by Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan last year December 2nd, in which the former leader described him as a fugitive, wanted in America, is part of ‘My Watch’, and was already a subject of litigation.
Obasanjo, ignored the order and launched his book. He even had strong words for the judge at the launch.
“I had given the book to my editors and to the publisher. As far as I am concerned, my job is done. I had written the book and printed it before the court injunction,” Obasanjo stated.
“In a normal judiciary, the judge should be sanctioned and I hope something will be done. We are here legally and lawfully and we will continue to act lawfully and legally,” Obasanjo said.
A day after the launch, Justice Ashi gave Obasanjo 21 day ultimatum to prove why the former president should not go to prison for contempt of court.
“I hold the defendant not only in contempt of the court, but to show cause why he should not be punished for contempt and ordered to undo what he has wrongly done.”
“The defendant, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, shall be given 21 days, from the day this order is served on him, to show cause, via affidavit, why he should not be punished for contempt committed by publishing and distributing for sale to the public, the book, My Watch, in plain disregard of the pendency of substantive suit and the order of this court made on December 5, 2014 restraining him from doing so,” Ashi ruled.
He also gave orders confiscating Obasanjo’s book.
“The defendant, whether by himself, agents, servants, privies or whatever name called, is hereby restrained from further publication or offering for sale or distribution, in any way or manner, the book called My Watch or the like of the visual or written materials which contains a re-publication or statement extracted from the letter referred to by the plaintiff.”
He dismissed Obasanjo’s claim that the book was published in November before interim orders were given.
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