A Federal High Court, Abuja has awarded a total sum of N17 million against three applicants and their lawyer in a suit seeking to stop the swearing-in of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on May 29.
The judgment in favour of Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, was delivered by Justice James Omotosho on Friday.
Omotosho, in the ruling, said the applicants, who were neither candidates or members of a political party in the election that produced Tinubu as president-elect, lacked locus standi (legal right) to institute the matter.
Justice Omotosho, who described the suit as vexatious, further held that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter being a post-election matter which ought to have been filed at the Court of Appeal.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that three applicants: Praise Ilemona Isaiah, Pastor Paul Isaac Audu and Dr. Anongu Moses, had filed the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/657/2023.
In the suit, they sued President Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu, APC, Attorney-General of the Federation, Director-General of the Department of State Services, Inspector-General of Police and Independent National Electoral Commission as 1st to 7th defendants respectively.
In the motion dated May 18 and filed May 22, the applicants sought an order of interim injunction restraining the 2nd defendant (Tinubu) from being sworn in as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
In a 10-ground of argument attached to the motion, the applicants said that the APC candidate contested the last presidential election and was declared to have won the poll by INEC (7th defendant).
They said that although Tinubu was billed to be sworn in as president on May 29, they had uncovered that Tinubu, contrary to the affidavit he deposed to in INEC’s Form EC9, beside being a Nigerian, was also a citizen of the Republic of Guinea, thereby committing the offence of perjury, among others.
The matter was still ongoing as at the time of filing this report.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
