Constitutional lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), has described the suit filed by the Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele at a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, as a rude joke.
He challeneged the Nigerian Bar Association, the Election Situation Room, SERAP and other civil society organisations to apply to join in the Emefiele’s case as interested parties to put an end to the joke.
A Federal High Court had earlier today, restraint itself from granting any reliefs sought by Emefiele whose lawyer, Mike Ezekhome, SAN, has among others has brought an ex parte matter, asking the court to declare Electoral Act Section 84(12) of 2022 invalid, and prevent either INEC or the AGF from taking any action based on the provisions of the provisions against his political interest.
But Adegboruwa, said, the suit filed by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele lacked merit and amounts to a sheer waste of time of the court.
He said the suit by Emefiele amounts to an insult on Nigerians as a people, as he should not have contemplated contesting for an election since he is still drawing emolument from CBN, which remains his employer.
According to Adegboruwa, the decision of the Supreme Court in Akinlade v INEC, has proved without equivocation that there is no competent suit filed by Mr. Emefiele pending before the court for adjudication.
He said: “The affidavit in support of the Originating Summons and indeed the Affidavit of Urgency, were both deposed to by counsel on his behalf, in flagrant violation of Rule 20 of RPC.
“An Originating Summons cannot be determined in the Federal High Court without a competent affidavit in support thereof.”
Adegboruwa said further that by his status, Emefiele is an employee of the CBN and any case to determine his status or eligibility should be filed at the National Industrial Court and not the Federal High Court.
“So long as Emefiele earns salary as CBN employee, he should not dream of contesting election while still holding on to his office. It is an insult to our collective psyche as a people.
I urge the Nigerian Bar Association, Election Situation Room, SERAP and other civil society organizations to apply to court to join EMEFIELE’S case and put an end to this joke.