Lawyer, applicants to pay Tinubu, APC ₦17m over suit seeking to stop inauguration

A Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday, came down very hard on three applicants and their lawyer over a suit seeking to stop the swearing- in of President-Elect Bola Tinubu on 29 May over alleged possession of Guinean citizenship.

Justice Justice James Omotosho asked the three applicants identified Praise Ilemona Isaiah, Pastor Paul Isaac Audu and Dr Anongu Moses and their lawyer to pay the sum of N17 million for filing the suit which he described as frivolous and abuse of court process.

Justice Omotosho, further described the suit as vexatious as the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter being a post-election matter which ought to have been filed at the Appeal Court.

He added that the applicants, were neither candidates or members of a political party in the election that produced Tinubu as president-elect and therefore, lacked locus standi (legal right) to institute the matter.

The applicants had joined Tinubu, All Progressives Congress (APC), the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Director-General Department of State Services (DSS) as respodents in the suit.

Others were the Inspector-General of Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 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 Guinea Republic, thereby committing the offence of perjury, among others.

The matter was still ongoing as at the time of filing this report. (NAN)

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