Speakership: Plaintiff withdraws suit against Gbajabiamila

The suit challenging the eligibility of Femi Gbajabiamila, to contest for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in the Ninth Session of the National Assembly, pending before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, has been withdrawn.

In a letter titled: “Authorisation to File My Withdrawal From Suit Number: FHC/ABJ/CS/539/2019,’’ the plaintiff, Mr. Philip Undie, said he honourably discontinued the suit, following fresh facts indicating that Gbajabi- amila, has no criminal record in the United States of America.

In the May 27 letter dated and signed by him, he said: “It is important I honourably discontinue the suit following the emergence of more facts indicating that the first defendant in the suit, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, was cleared of no criminal conviction in the state of Georgia or any other part of the United States of America in a letter dated August 30, 2010.

“I am also in possession of an order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, dated May 22, 2018, delivered by Justice Abdu-Kafarati, in favour of Femi Gbajabiamila’.’

The plaintiff had, in a suit he filed before the Federal High Court, in Abuja, challenged Gbajabiamila’s eligibility to contest for thespeaker of the House of Representatives in the Ninth Assembly.

Gbajabiamila is one of the leading candidates for that position since the results of the last general elections were released.

In the suit, other defendants, aside Gbajabiamila, are the House of Representatives, Attorney General of the Federation and the All progressives Congress.

Undie in the statement said: ‘’One of the documents I now have is a letter dated as far back as August 30, 2010, issued by the State Bar of Georgia, the body involved in this matter and which regulates legal practice in Georgia, US, indicating that Gbajabiamila has no record of criminal conviction in the State of Georgia or any part of America. In fact, the letter states categorically that Femi Gbajabiamila “is currently an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia.

‘’In addition, I am also in possession of a copy of decision of Federal High Court, Abuja in suit FHC/ABJ/ CS/501/2015 decided by Justice Adamu Abdu-Kafarati in favour of Gbajabiamila, on May 22,2018 as the plaintiff in that case was unable to diligently prosecute the case.”