*Awards N20m for ex-president, N1m for AGF
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a suit filed by a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting in the 2027 presidential election.
Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment, also awarded a N20 million fine against Jideobi in favour of the ex-president and additional N1 million in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Justice Lifu held that Jideobi lacked the legal right to institute the suit having not suffered any loss from his perceived Jonathan’s intention to vie for the next year’s poll.
The judge, took cognisance of earlier decisions of two Federal High Courts in Yenagoa and an Appeal Court, which had already adjudicated over similar issues brought by other parties which all held that Jonathan was eligible to run, saying he was bound by the decisions and that of the appellate court.
The judge then described the lawyer’s suit as “an abuse of court process,” especially being a legal practitioner, who knew about the judgements he had referred to.
He especially deprecated Jideobi and his lawyer, Ndubuisi Ukpai, whom he described as having violated Rule 24(2)&(3), by bringing to the court, a matter to merely annoy the other party, simply because he is following his client’s instructions.
Justice Lifu also dismissed the Jideobi’s motion asking the judge’s revise himself from the case, for being frivolous.
Jideobi had sued former President Jonathan, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and AGF as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively.
