Kola Abiola, the People’s Redemption Party’s presidential candidate, was fined N20,000 by an Abuja-based Federal High Court for failing to submit his court documents on time.
In a decision, Justice Fadima Aminu also punished the PRP for taking too long to submit its counter-affidavit in opposition to the dissatisfied presidential candidate’s modified originating summons.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Justice Aminu set November 25 for a firm hearing in a lawsuit brought by Madam Patience Ndidi Key, a female candidate for president in the party’s primary election held on June 5.
The judge delayed the case to Friday for a specific hearing after granting Madam Key’s move to amend her originating summons on November 18. She also directed all parties to file their processes before the next adjourned date.
According to NAN, Key, the plaintiff, filed a lawsuit against PRP, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and Mr. Latifu Abiola on June 28.
Key had contested Mr. Abiola’s nomination as the party’s presidential candidate in an earlier originating summons with the marking FHC/ABJ/CS/1001/2022.
She had asked the court to throw out the election that had chosen Abiola as the PRP’s nominee for president.
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Additionally, she requested for an order to nullify the proclamation that Abiola had won the nationwide primary elections.
Kola is the son of the late MKO Abiola, who was widely regarded as the victor of the presidential election on June 12, 1993.
Magnus Ihejirika, the plaintiff’s attorney, announced that the case had been adjourned for a future hearing when the hearing had begun.
Ihejirika said that in order for him to respond effectively, the defense attorneys had not yet served him with their counter-affidavits.
Regina Audu, the first defendant’s (PRP) attorney, claimed that when she attempted to submit her application on Thursday at the FHC filing office, there was a network outage.
She claimed that there was no network to produce a remittal for us to pay the filing fee for our reply affidavit yesterday (Thursday).
Ijeoma Madu, who represented Mr. Abiola, also talked in a similar manner.
The defense attorney’s actions, according to Ihejirlrika, were “a premeditated attempt to stall the suit’s procedures.”
In the complaint, which was filed on June 28, the attorney stated that “time is of the essence in its determination.”
According to a clause in the constitution, the court had just 180 days to decide the issue, but in practice, it now has less than a month to do so.
He claimed that the defendants were merely using this as a means of postponing the hearing and decision on the case.
Ihejirika, who informed the court that he is from Kebbi, stated that a cost should be charged if the court were to allow the defense application.
He requested a payment of N200,000.
He was opposed by the defense attorney, who asked the court to deny the request.
An judgment of costs should not be a punishment but rather compensation, Justice Aminu stated in her decision.
The PRP (1st defendant) and Abiola (3rd defendant), as a result, were each ordered to pay N20,000 to the plaintiff’s attorney by the judge.
She set the subject for a formal hearing on December 2nd.
NAN
