Godwin Tsa Abuja

The Abuja division of the Federal High Court on Thursday, dismissed a suit by a civil societal group (SCO) seeking its order directing Senator Ovie Omo-Agege to vacate his seat as a senator and Deputy Senate President.

The group, Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, had predicated it’s action on the grounds that Omo-Agege allegedly has a record of previous criminal convictions in the United States of America.

In his judgment, Justice Ahmed Mohammed had after upholding the preliminary objection filed by the respondents, dismissed the suit on the grounds that it constituted an abuse of court process.

The  respondents in the suit are   Omo-Agege, the Clerk of the National Assembly, his party, the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Justice Mohammed noted that the plaintiff ought to have immediately withdrawn the suit on realising that the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, a court with coordinate jurisdiction with the Federal High Court, had already decided the issue in the suit.

“It is manifestly clear from the judgment alluded to that there was no convicted as alleged,” Justice Mohammed held.

The judge held that contrary to the contention of the plaintiff, it was bound by the FCT High Court judgment despite not being a party to suit in which the said judgment was delivered.

He held, “In the light of the above,  the plaintiff is bound by the judgment of my brother, Justice O.A Musa of the FCT High Court delivered on January 29, 2020, wherein it was declared that the defendant was not convicted.

“It is precisely the intention of this suit to relitigate the issue already laid to rest by the judgment of the FCT High Court.”

He added that by refusing to take an immediate step of withdrawing the suit on being aware of the FCT High Court judgment, the plaintiff  “lends credence to the contention of the counsel for the first defendant that the suit was filed in obvious attempt to annoy and irritate the first defendant.”

He added that he must, therefore, “truncate it at this point by dismissing without the need to consider other issues”.