…Slams N21m fine against plaintiff
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, held that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to contest the 2027 Presidential election.
The trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu
declared this while delivering judgment in a suit filed by an Abuja based lawyer, Mr Johnmary Jideobi seeking the disqualification of the former president from participating in the presidential election slated for next year.
The judge held that the Originating Summons of the plaintiff failed and accordingly dismissed the suit.
Justice Lifu, who described the dismissed the suit the plaintiff as an abuse of the precious time of the court, awarded a cost of N20 million against the plaintiff in favour of former president Goodluck Jonathan who is the first defendant in the suit.
The court also awarded a cost of N1 million against the plaintiff in favour of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), who is the third defendant in the matter.
The court held that, the plaintiff has failed to show what injury he has suffered or will suffer if the former president contest the election.
Earlier, Justice Lifu held that the application by the plaintiff for him to recuse himself from the matter failed and consequently was dismissed by the court.
In the originating summons, which has Jonathan, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the AGF as 1st to 3rd defendants, Jideobi requested, among others, that the court determines “whether in view of the combined provisions of sections 1(1), (2) and (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, the 1st defendant is eligible, under any circumstances whatsoever, to contest for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Jideobi argued that Jonathan had exhausted the constitutional limit allowed for a president, having completed the tenure of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua before serving another full term after the 2011 election.
… Details latter
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