A federal high court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by
Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba seeking to nullify the candidacy of Bola Tinubu as the
presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/942/2022, was filed by the
former minister and the incorporated trustees of Rights for All International
(RAI), a non-governmental organisation.
The suit also sought to void the primary that produced Atiku
Abubakar as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023
presidential election.
The plaintiffs in the suit filed through Okere Nnamdi
alleged that the primary that produced Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate
was tainted by corruption and widespread vote buying, adding that the majority
of the delegates were bought with dollars.
The plaintiffs also queried Tinubu’s source of income and
his educational qualifications.
In Atiku’s case, the plaintiffs alleged that he also engaged
in vote buying.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Inyang Ekwo, the presiding
judge, held that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter on the
grounds that the plaintiffs do not have the locus standi to file the suit.
The judge condemned the involvement of RAI, a
non-governmental organisation, in politically motivated cases.
“It is only in this country that an association registered
for charitable purposes will venture into partisan politics with such audacious
sense of impunity,” he said.
“At this time in the political journey of this country,
politics and political activities must be left to those who are authorized by
law to do so.
“This action by the first plaintiff (RAI) is an outrageous
act and an aberration to all known principles of the law of associations. In
short, it is the height of lawlessness and ought to be stopped forthwith.
“Associations
registered under Part F of the CAMA 2020 must understand the limits of their
operations under the law. Where they fail to do so, the legal sanctions will
apply.”
The judge further ordered the dissolution of RAI and asked
the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to take over the group in accordance
with the provisions of the law on the dissolution of bodies registered pursuant
to Part F of the CAMA 2020.
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