A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck out a suit filed by the former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, seeking the disqualification of the foremost presidential candidate in the country and respected national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The lawsuit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1114/2022 also had the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
In her judgment, Justice Zainab Abubakar explained that she lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
She added that, it was statute-barred, having been filed outside the 14 days allowed under Section 285(9) of the Constitution.
This is the second time the Federal High Court would be dismissing Nwajiuba’s suit against Tinubu’s nomination.
Recall that In a judgment on December 15, Justice Inyang Ekwo (also of the Federal High Court in Abuja) dismissed the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/942/2022 filed by Nwajiuba and a group, Rights for All International (RAI).
They jointly sought to void the nomination of Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidates of the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Nwajiuba had among others, prayed the court to name him as a replacement for Tinubu as the candidate of the APC.
Justice Ekwo, who noted that RAI’s involvement in politically motivated cases violated its stated objectives and offended public policy, issued an order dissolving the group.
