Senate President Godswill Akpabio says he has told his lawyers to discontinue all the defamation suits he previously filed, explaining that a priest’s message during New Year Mass influenced his decision.
Akpabio made the disclosure on Thursday, January 1, at Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo, where he said he had taken several people to court over statements he considered damaging.
“I had almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered my name,” he said.
He then announced he was ending the legal battles after reflecting on the priest’s homily.
“But I listened to the priest and suddenly realised he was talking to me, so I hereby direct my solicitors to withdraw all lawsuits against them.”
During his homily, the priest told worshippers that peace is one of the greatest needs of humanity and urged them to embrace peaceful coexistence.
He also encouraged them to release old wounds, saying, “You have to let go of the past, no matter what it was. All of us carry some luggage of pain and hurt. You have to let go if you want to move on.”
With the New Year announcement, Akpabio has moved to end the pending defamation disputes, signaling closure on the publicised cases at the start of the year.