ATIKU DRAGGED BACK TO COURT OVER HIS CITIZENSHIP

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By Adeniyi Onaara

This comes three months after a similar suit against Atiku was rejected by Justice Inyang Ekwo.

Three months after a suit challenging Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s citizenship was rejected by the Federal High Court in Abuja, a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, has moved the court again to question his right to run for president.

On Saturday, May 28, 2022, Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election, was re-elected to represent the party as its presidential candidate in the 2023 general election.

The lawyer claimed in the action, FHC/ABJ/CS/751/2022, that Atiku is not legally qualified to run for president of 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.

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