Bukola Saraki, the former president of the Senate, has launched a defamation lawsuit accusing the Kwara State Government of trying to intimidate and harass him.
According to Naija News, Saraki’s defense team, headed by Mr. Jimoh Mumini (SAN), appeared before the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on Wednesday.
The lawsuit started because of a social media post Saraki allegedly made on April 17, 2026, in reaction to a previous remark made by the Kwara State Government that he claimed damaged his reputation.
The tweet, according to the state authorities, constituted cyberbullying and criminal defamation of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Attorneys for the Kwara State Government requested that the court issue a bench warrant against Saraki during the proceedings before Justice M. O. Folorunso.
Additionally, they asked for an injunction requiring the former Senate President to appear in court.
Saraki’s attorneys, however, objected to the motion, claiming that the prosecution had filed the court procedures incorrectly.
Additionally, they contested the High Court’s jurisdiction to hear the case, arguing that the objection went to the core of the dispute.
As an opposition leader in the state, Saraki’s remarks on Facebook and X, according to the defense team, were only an expression of his constitutional rights to freedom of speech and right of reply.
Judge Folorunso postponed the case to July 3, 2026, in order to make a decision on the outstanding applications after hearing arguments from both sides.
Abdulkadir Abdulganiyu, Saraki’s local press officer, responded to the accusations by accusing Governor AbdulRazaq’s administration of targeting opposition figures through the legal system.
He characterized the case as part of a trend by which the state government silences critics whenever they make comments about the administration’s policies and activities.
“It is a recurring decimal for the Kwara governor to seek to use the courts to harass and intimidate the leaders of opposition in the state whenever they make any comment against the policies and actions of his administration,” Abdulganiyu stated.
He said the government should be more concerned about the state’s insecurity and questioned the importance placed on the allegedly defamatory post.
He stated, “We observe that the Kwara State Government feels that the alleged defamatory social media post deserves more attention than the issue of acute insecurity plaguing the state, where two of the three senatorial districts in the state have become a den of kidnappers, bandits, and insurgents.”
“176 Kidnapped Locals Are Still in Captivity”
Saraki’s assistant further claimed that 176 persons who were allegedly kidnapped from the Woro community in the state’s northern region had not received enough attention from the state government.
He claimed that although the victims had reportedly been held captive since early February, the government was concentrating on a social media post that the governor’s handlers found offensive.
Additionally, Abdulganiyu stated, “the case of 176 people who were abducted from the Woro community in the northern part of the state and have been in captivity since early February is taking a back seat behind the issue of a social media post that the governor’s handlers believed was unpleasant to him.”
Additionally, he charged that the administration and its allies were organizing the public and media to visit the court.
He claims that the funds and effort used for the court appearance could have been used to secure the release of victims who had been abducted throughout the state.
In order to show that the court case is merely another diversionary tactic, we have brought up these more delicate options that need the attention of Governor AbdulRazaq and his administration rather than wasting resources on the impact of words exchanged with the state’s opposition leader,” he stated.
According to Abdulganiyu, Saraki continued to have faith in the Nigerian judiciary’s capacity to administer justice equitably to all parties.
He stated that the former Senate President’s attorneys would keep up their court defense.
“Dr. Saraki is still confident in the Nigerian judiciary’s capacity to treat all parties fairly in all circumstances. He stated, “For this reason, his attorneys will also persist in defending his stance and vigorously present his case before the court on all matters, including this case arising from a social media post.”
Saraki also urged his followers in Kwara State and beyond to maintain composure and respect for the law.
The former governor would not be frightened or silenced by what he called repressive tactics, according to his assistant.
Abdulganiyu continued, “He will not remain silent when there are matters of public interest that deserve his comment.”
On July 3, the court is anticipated to make a decision about the applications submitted by both parties.
