A suit contesting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s citizenship status was dismissed by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The action filed by a non-governmental organization, Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa, challenging Atiku Abubakar’s Nigerian citizenship was dismissed by the judge on Monday.
The court ruled that the NGO lacked the legal authority to inquire about the former Vice President’s citizenship and lacked the locus standi to bring the lawsuit.
According to Justice Ekwo, the NGO was registered with unique functions under the Company and Allied Matters Act and cannot engage in public interest litigation that is not related to its mission.
He warned the NGO not to file frivolous cases with the intention of harassing politically exposed Nigerians.
The organization had petitioned the court to disqualify Atiku as the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate and to prevent him from running in the presidential election on February 16, 2019, due to claimed circumstances surrounding his citizenship.
“A declaration that, based on the combined interpretation of Sections 25(l) & (2) and 131(a) of the Constitution, and given the circumstances surrounding Atiku’s birth, he cannot be cleared by the PDP and INEC to contest for the position of President,” the plaintiff claimed in the action.
