Atiku Abubakar to court again over citizenship
Three months after the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a suit challenging Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s citizenship, a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi has approached the court again to challenge his eligibility to contest the presidency.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 presidential election was again elected on Saturday, May 28, 2022, to represent the party as its presidential candidate in the 2023 general election.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/751/2022, the lawyer maintained that Atiku is not constitutionally qualified to contest for president in Nigeria.
Jideobi in the suit, listed the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as second, third, and fourth defendants respectively.
Atiku Abubakar to court again over citizenship
One of the questions the plaintiff posed to the court is to determine “whether by the combined provisions of sections 1(1) & (2), 25 and 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), only a Nigeria citizen by birth can contest for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
The lawyer also wants the court to determine “whether by the combined interpretation of sections 1(1) & (2), 25(1) & (2) and 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and giving the circumstances surrounding the birth of the 1st Defendant, he can be cleared by the 2nd and 3rd defendants to contest for the office of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria”.
This is coming three months after Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed a similar suit against Atiku, saying the suit lacked merit.
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