Again, Buhari’s Ex-Minister’ Loses Suit Seeking Disqualification of Tinubu, Atiku

Alex Enumah in Abuja

A former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, again lost his suit seeking the disqualification of candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC ), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar in the February 25 presidential election.

The suit which was earlier dismissed by both the trial and appeal courts was on Thursday again dismissed by the apex court for being statute barred.

The apex court in its unanimous judgment, however, did not award cost against the former minister for withdrawing his case when informed that the case was filed outside the time prescribed by law.

Nwajiuba and a civil group, the Rights for All International, a non-governmental organisation, had asked the Supreme Court to cancel the processes that produced Tinubu and Abubakar as candidates of their political parties.

He had urged the apex court to reverse the concurrent judgments of the two lower courts and hold that Tinubu and Atiku ought not to be on the ballot.

However, the five-member panel led by Justice John Okoro, declined to entertain the appeal on the grounds that they lacked jurisdiction since the suit had become statute barred.