A group identified as the Registered Trustees of Social Justice and Civil Rights Awareness Initiative on Monday asked for an ex-parte motion from the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court that would disqualify Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from emerging Speaker of the House of Representatives to be inaugurated tomorrow. Justice Abdul Kafarati is presiding over the suit.
The suit filed pursuant to Order 26 Rule 8 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2009, is contending that Hon. Gbajabiamila is not morally fit to head the third arm of governance in Nigeria, alleging that he was previously ”convicted in the state of Georgia for unethical practices and was debarred as a lawyer for 36 months”.
Apart from Gbajabiamila, the group cited the House of Representatives and the Attorney General of the Federation as defendants in the matter.
Human Rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozehkome, SAN, sought the ex-parte motion on behalf of the group. In a supporting affidavit which was deposed to by one Alojie Nmerengira, the plaintiff told the court that its investigations revealed that Gbajabiamila was convicted by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 2007, even as it attached a copy of the order of the court as ‘Exhibit A’.
According to Nmerengira, “That I am the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the plaintiff organization by virtue of which I am very conversant with the facts deposed herein.
“That the 1st defendant is a member of the House of Representatives who nurses the ambition of becoming the Speaker of the House in the next Assembly. That the 2nd defendant is the constitution body created to carry out legislative functions for the good governance and advancement of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he noted.
Comments