Court dismisses Nwajiuba’s suit seeking to disqualify Tinubu, Atiku over ‘vote buying’

A federal high court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, an ex-Minister of state for education 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.