A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja,has dismissed a suit seeking to remove Professor Charles Soludo as the governor–elect of Anambra state.
Justice Taiwo made the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by two voters in Anambra state, Adindu Valentine and Chukwuebuka Egwudike against the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He described the suit as “frivolous, vexatious, baseless and lacking in merit, and consequently dismissed same.
The plaintiffs had submitted that Soludo provided false information in the affidavit (Form EC9) that he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission and therefore should be deemed unqualified to contest the Anambra state governorship election.
They further claimed that Soludo indicated in the affidavit, that he was contesting the Aguata 2 Constituency seat when in fact, he was contesting the Anambra governorship seat and his deputy claimed to be contesting Awka constituency instead of Anambra deputy governorship.
But Justice Taiwo said the plaintiffs only sought to use court as a tool to derail democracy,adding that they failed woefully to establish how the alleged wrong in the constituency affected or misled them as voters and in any other capacity.
He noted that apart from the alleged wrongful disclosure of constituency, Soludo as the 3rd defendant clarified in other parts of his affidavit on oath that he was contesting Anambra governorship election while Ibezim as 4th defendant also indicated in other parts of his affidavit that he was contesting deputy governorship.
He added:”From the processes filed in this suit and which I have carefully perused, the two plaintiffs did not convince the court on how they were misled by the information.
“No aspects of the 1999 Constitution as amended or any part of the Electoral Act 2010, compel 3rd and 4th defendants (Soludo and Ibezim) to name constituency as a condition for qualification to stand for election.
“Lawyers as ministers in the temple of justice should always counsel politicians against rushing to court with frivolous suits that will achieve no purpose than to waste the previous time of the court.
“As a matter of fact, I am yet to come to terms with the purpose this suit is to serve. This suit is not reasonable.
The court held that giving false information was a criminal offence and prove of allegation of supplying false information must be beyond reasonable doubt.
“It is high time Nigerians came together to deepen democracy and not to use frivolous suits to stagnate it and this is in our own interest.
He awarded N2million damage against the plaintiffs.
