Plaintiff Withdraws Suit against Gbajabiamila’s Bid for House of Representatives’ Speaker

Plaintiff Withdraws Suit against Gbajabiamila’s Bid for House of Representatives’ Speaker

By Alex Enumah in Abuja

The plaintiff in the suit seeking to prevent Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from contesting for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the ninth National Assembly has withdrawn the suit.

The plaintiff, Philip Undie, in a letter titled ”Authorization To File My Withdrawal From Suit Number: FHC/ABJ/CS/539/2019”, said he honourably discontinued the suit following the emergence of more facts indicating that the first defendant in the suit he filed, Gbajabiamila, has no criminal record in the United States.

He said in the letter dated May 27, 2019 and signed by him: ”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 the eligibility of Gbajabiamila to contest for the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the ninth National Assembly.

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

Other defendants in the suit include the Attorney General of the Federation and the All progressives Congress (APC).

Undie had accused Gbajabiamila of being convicted in the State of Georgia in the USA on February 26, 2007.

Apart from the letter of withdrawal, the plaintiff also in a press statement he personally signed, said the suit was filed in his innocent belief that Gbajabiamila ought not to be allowed to contest for the position of speaker based on the initial information at his disposal.

Undie in the statement said: ”The suit was filed in my innocent belief that the first defendant, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila ought not to be allowed to contest for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives based on information then at my disposal that he had been criminally convicted by the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia, United States of America.

”Since the matter was filed at the Federal High Court, I have come into possession of more facts on the alleged criminal conviction which show beyond all doubt that the basis of the suit is found on misinformation and misrepresentation of facts.

”One of the documents I now have is a letter dated as far back as August 30th, 2010 issued by the State Bar of Georgia, the body involved in this matter and which regulate legal practice in Georgia, United States of America, indicating that the first defendant, Femi 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’.”

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