A high court in Delta dismissed Davido’s preliminary objections to the N2.3 billion case filed against him by Amaju Pinnick.
Pinnick sued Davido last year, claiming he breached a commitment to perform at the 19th ‘Warri Again’ concert in Delta.
The former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) alleged that Davido failed to arrive at an event scheduled for October 26, 2023, despite receiving a $94,500 payment.
He also claimed that he spent an additional $18,000 for a private jet chartered to transfer Davido and his entourage.
Davido challenged the jurisdiction of the Delta State High Court in Effurun to hear the case.
The musician, through his lawyers, contended that the situation should be handled as a debt recovery case, and that Pinnick should have issued a demand letter before taking legal action.
Davido’s lawyers further denied that Sosoberokon, who signed the deal on his behalf, was his authorized representative.
However, during a recent hearing, the presiding judge, Nduka Obi, dismissed Davido’s argument to the court’s jurisdiction to hear the defamation case.
The court dismissed Davido’s lawyers’ arguments that the action was a debt recovery case and was premature because Pinnick did not submit a letter demanding a refund.
The court ruled that the requested relief constituted a breach of contract and did not require a prior letter of demand.
The court ruled that it has geographical authority to hear and decide two cases of defamation.
According to the report, Pinnick, a Delta resident, was there when Davido reportedly put the derogatory writings online.
The court stated that it will proceed with the hearing and resolution of all cases brought against the artist.
When Davido’s counsel was approached for an out-of-court settlement, they stated that they were actively working to resolve the issue.
Pinnick, however, said no concrete arrangement has been made because the defendants want the settlement to be on their terms.
The cases have been adjourned for hearing of other pending applications.