Court dismisses suit seeking Soludo’s disqualification as governor-elect

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday dismissed a suit seeking the disqualification of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, as the governor-elect for Anambra State. Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in a judgement delivered in a suit instituted by two voters in Anambra State, Adindu Valentine and Chukwuebuka Egwudike, described the suit as frivolous, irritating, baseless and lacking in merit. The judge accused the two plaintiffs of seeking to use court as a tool to scuttle democracy and awarded a punitive cost of N2 million against them to be paid to Soludo and his deputy, Onyeka Ibezim. The plaintiffs, Adindu Valentine and Egwudike Chukwuebuka, had in the suit contended that Soludo provided false information in the affidavit (Form EC9) that he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and should be deemed unqualified to stand for election.