GBAJABIAMILA MAY NEVER EMERGE SPEAKER OF NIGERIA’S HOUSE OF REPS AS COURT OKAYS SUIT TO STOP HIM

THE Federal High Court, Abuja Division yesterday gave its nod to a suit filed ‎by a rights group – Registered Trustees of Social Justice and Civil Rights Awareness Initiative – seeking to restrain the sole candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Gbajabiamila from emerging as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

In a suit filed on their behalf by Mike Ozekhome (SAN), the Initiative had approached the court through an ex-parte application praying for an order of court to stop Gbajabiamila from parading himself as a member of the House of Representatives and also an aspirant for the office of the Speaker.

Listed as defendants alongside Gbajabiamila are House of Representatives and the Attorney General of the Federation.

When the matter came up yesterday, the trial judge, Justice Abdul Kafarati who heard the matter in Chamber ordered the plaintiff to put the defendants on Notice to come and show cause why the reliefs of the plaintiff should not be granted.

He consequently adjourned till June 18, 2015 for mention.

The plaintiff predicated its suit on ground that Gbajabiamila was convicted in the State of Georgia for unethical practices and had to be stripped of his bar licence for 36 months.

In its application, the group prayed the court to declare that Gbajabiamila is not fit and proper person to be elected as a member of the House of Representatives and as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The plaintiff also wants the court to give an order restraining the House of Representatives from accepting the nomination of Gbajabiamila as an aspirant for the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The group also wants the court to give an order of injunction restraining Gbajabiamila from parading himself as a member of the House of Representatives and also as an aspirant for the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The court was also asked to grant an order of injunction restraining the House of Representatives and AGF from recognising Gbajabiamila as a member and also an aspirant for the office of the speaker of the house of representatives.

The plaintiff had also alleged that Gbajabiamila has a United States international passport even though he has Nigerian descent, as this contravenes the constitution as regards membership of the House of Representatives.

The group submitted that the mood of the nation today will not warrant placing position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the hands of any individual that has a tainted or questionable character.