The suit challenging the candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) was Wednesday dismissed by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
This is the fourth in the series of cases brought against Tunubu, to be dismissed by the courts in the last few weeks.
The latest case
In the latest case, a rights advocate and APC stalwart, Ngozika Ihuoma, had in a suit marked FHC/ ABJ/CS/854/2022, had dragged Tinubu and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to court June 9 for allegedly violating extant electoral laws few days after the former Lagos state governor won the APC presidential primary.
The two presidential candidates were sued alongside their parties, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Ihuoma sought six reliefs, which included INEC barring Tinubu from contesting the 2023 presidential election.
In defense of the suit, the law office of Babatunde Ogala (SAN) & Co on behalf of the APC, filed a counter affidavit opposing the originating summons and a notice of preliminary objection.
The counter affidavit challenged Ihuoma’s locus standi and grounds for the action.
It therefore sought a court declaration that the case was speculative, pre-emptive and non-justifiable being the internal affairs of a political party.
The counter affidavit further punctured Ihuoma’s case, describing it as an academic, theoretical and an abuse of court process.
The ruling
And in the ruling Wednesday, the court upheld the defense counsel’s objections and struck out the case.
Dismissing the case Monday, the court described the plaintiff as being meddlesome.
In her ruling, Justice Fadima Muritala declared that that plaintiff is a “meddlesome interloper having no locus standi to institute the suit.”
He, therefore, dismissed the case for being speculative after APC’s counsel; Julius Ishola Esq. from Babatunde Ogala had urged the court to dismiss it with heavy cost for wasting judicial time.
Campaign team lauds ruling
Commenting on the development in a statement Monday,
Director of Media and Publicity APC Presidential Campaign Council Bayo Onanuga said the counter affidavit challenged Ihuoma’s locus standi and grounds for the action.
“The counter affidavit also punctured Ihuoma’s case as academic, theoretical and an abuse of court process. The court on Monday upheld the defense counsel’s objections and struck out the case.
“In the last couple of weeks, the courts have dismissed several cases brought against Asiwaju Tinubu by opposition elements, including Action Alliance, for being frivolous, lacking in merit and abuse of court processes,” Onanuga said.
Remi Tinubu on Muslim/Muslim ticket
In a related development, the APC presidential candidate’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu said the Muslim/Muslim ticket the APC adopted by the party would set a new tone in Nigerian political landscape in 2023.
She said this Wednesday during the APC South-west women presidential rally held at Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan, Lagos.
The lawmaker said the country, would in no distant time, also witness Christian/Christian ticket.
Addressing the teeming women supporters, Tinubu said: “I bring you warm greetings from the First Lady, Her Excellency Aisha Buhari. She sends loves to Lagos and wishes you well and to the governor that is making things work in Lagos state.
“We thank you for coming out in large number despite the challenges. My coming here is another homecoming. About 23 years ago, God bless my husband to become the Governor, I supported him as the first lady.”
Commenting on the influence of social media on the youth, she noted that “social media is good for you to seek proper information. I want to tell them today I stand tall in my State.
“I want to thank the people of Lagos Central for sending me to represent them. I’m the first woman to emerge as a senator three times. This is a wonderful opportunity. Since 2007 when my husband left office, I kept working for the good of our people.
“God rewards good work, what is happening to us is God that is doing this. He pleases people without people paying attention but heaven pays attention.
“As regard Muslim/Muslim ticket, this one will set the tone for the future. Sometime in future we will have a Christian/Christian ticket. What God has done is marvelous in our land.”
In her remarks, the First Lady of Lagos state, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, said Nigeria needed somebody with political sagacity as Tinubu to manage the affairs of the nation in 2023.
“We are delighted to receive you all as we flag off the Tinubu/Shettima Women’s Presidential Campaign in the South-West,” she said.
