Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, the governor of
Emefiele, in the suit he filed through his team of lawyers, led by Mike Ozekhome, SAN, told the court that both INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation,
Consequently, he prayed the court to order INEC and the
He urged the court to, in the interim, restrain the two defendants from taking any step that could push him out of office, pending the determination of the suit.
"My lord, by
"The timeline for the congresses and conventions of the political parties for the presidential election, which he is interested in, comes up on the 30th of May.
"This motion, is therefore, seeking that the court should grant an order for maintenance of status quo.
"Let my lord not allow anybody to do anything," Ozekhome pleaded while moving Emefiele's ex-parte application that was supported with an affidavit of urgency.
Adducing reasons he would not resign as CBN governor, Emefiele, contended that not being a political appointee, he was not caught up by section 84 (12) of the new Electoral Act, since he is a public servant.
The plaintiff further drew the attention of the court to a subsisting judgement of the
He prayed the court to invoke section 318 of the 1999
Meanwhile, in a bench ruling yesterday, Justice
In the substantive suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/610/2022, Emefiele, is praying the court to declare that he can "validly participate in the primary election of any political party and is entitled to vote and be voted for as candidate of any political party of his choice, for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for the election to the office of President or any other office under the
He wants the court to issue an order, stopping the defendants from stopping or prejudicing him, "from participating, voting or being voted for at the congress or convention of any political party of his choice, for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for the election to the office of President or any other office under the
In his supporting affidavit deposed to by one Maliki Sylvanus, Emiefele told the court that he was aspiring to seek election to the office of the President of
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