Court dismisses case challenging Tinubu’s candidacy

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a case challenging the candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 general election.

Ruling on the suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/854/2022 and filed by Ngozika Ihuoma, the presiding judge, Justice Fadima Muritala, described the plaintiff (Ihuoma) as a “meddlesome interloper having no locus standi to institute the suit”.

Justice Muritala dismissed the case for being speculative after the APC’s counsel, Julius Ishola, urged the court to dismiss it with a heavy cost for wasting judicial time.

Ihuoma had dragged Tinubu and five others to court on June 9, 2022, after the former Lagos State Governor won the APC presidential primary election.

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He sought six reliefs, which included the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) barring Tinubu from contesting the 2023 presidential election.

In defense of the suit, the APC’s counsel filed a counter affidavit in opposition to the originating summons and a notice of preliminary objection.

The counter affidavit challenged Ihuoma’s locus standi and grounds for the action.

It sought a court declaration that the case was speculative, pre-emptive, and non-justiciable being the internal affairs of a political party.

The counter affidavit also punctured Ihuoma’s case as academic, theoretical, and an abuse of the court process.

However, the court, on Monday, upheld the defense counsel’s objections and struck out the case.

The Star