FG Urges Abuja Court To Dismiss Suit Challenging Legitimacy Of Confab....

The Federal Government has urged a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to dismiss the suit filed by human rights activist, C to challenge the powers of President Goodluck Jonathan to convene the ongoing national Confab. In his suit, Abayomi had argued that the complaints that warranted the call for a national conference were based on the need for the country’s culturally and religiously diverse people to agree on the terms of their relation in a free national dialogue originated by the freewill of the people.

After branding the ongoing conference “a political council with politically directed interests and personalities”, he argued that President Jonathan lacks the powers to convene the conference without an authoring legislation from the National Assembly. He therefore prayed the court to declare the conference null and void.
He listed the Federal Government, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chairman and Vice Chairman and Secretary of the conference as defendants in the suit.
But in its notice of preliminary objection, the Federal Government argued that the plaintiff lack the locus standi to initiate the suit and questioned the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit.
Maintaining that the president withholds the constitutional powers to convene the conference, FG’s lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) said the plaintiff failed to disclose any course of action against the defendants.
Presiding judge, Justice Abdul Kafarati adjourned hearing on the matter to 8th May 2014