2019 Election: Court Orders Atiku, Saraki to Pay N5 million to Trader

The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the 2019 presidential candidate for People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, and his campaign manager, Bukola Saraki, to pay N5 million as damages to a Lagos-based trader for unauthorised use of her picture.

Amudat Adeleke, the Lagos-based trader, filed a lawsuit against Messrs Abubakar and Saraki for using her photograph without her consent which has caused her damage, The Punch newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Mrs Adeleke’s photograph was used on campaign billboards in 2019 soliciting votes for the PDP presidential candidate.

In her suit against Messrs Abubakar and Saraki, Mrs Adeleke prayed the court to award N45 million as damages, owing to the facts that the defendants infringed on her fundamental human rights and brought her great embarrassment, the report highlighted.

The plaintiff established to the court that her picture was taken during a 2018 campaign held at Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island Lagos, where Mr Saraki was present, soliciting votes for Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi for the presidency.

The trader said during the campaign, she and other traders were engaged and photographs were taken, only for her to see her picture used in billboards, without her consent.

Mrs Adeleke said the campaign billboards were seen in places like Ilupeju, Costain, Onikan, Apongbon, Airport Road, Yaba, Ikorodu and other areas of Lagos, as well as Abuja and some other states of Nigeria.

“All my friends who saw the campaign billboard said it portrayed me as a woman stricken with poverty, who had lost all hope and was prepared to commit suicide,” she told the court.

Ruling in her favour on Tuesday, Ayokunle Faji, the judge, awarded N5m against the defendants.