By Emmanuel Nduka
Constitutional lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, has filled a fresh suit seeking the disqualification of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from contesting the 2023 presidential election.
The suit filed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/751/2022, argued that Atiku is not constitutionally qualified to participate in the presidential contest.
The lawyer sought seven principal reliefs against Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who were cited as first, second and third defendants in the matter respectively; and the Attorney-General of the Federation was also joined as the fourth defendant.
The plaintiff asked the court to determine “Whether by the combined provisions of sections 1(1) & (2), 25 and 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), only a Nigeria citizen by birth can contest for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
“Whether by the combined interpretation of sections 1(1) & (2), 25(1) & (2) and 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and giving the circumstances surrounding the birth of the 1st Defendant, he can be cleared by the 2nd and 3rd Defendants to contest for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?”
Atiku had polled 371 votes to emerge as the candidate of the PDP’s convention held last Saturday.
