GODWIN Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has withdrawn a suit in which he asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to declare him eligible to contest the 2023 presidential election.
Emefiele had asked the court to determine whether he can contest the 2023 presidential election without resigning as the CBN governor.
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In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/610/2022, the CBN governor had asked the court to declare him eligible to contest the presidential election.
However, when the matter came up on Monday, Emefiele, through his counsel, S.T. Maliki, informed Justice Ahmed Mohammed that a notice of discontinuance had been filed and served on the defendants – the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
Maliki, who held the brief of Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said Emefiele had instructed him to withdraw the suit.
“Pursuant to the instruction of the plaintiff (Emefiele), we filed a notice of discontinuance dated and filed May 16, 2022.
“And the said notice of discontinuance was served on all the defendants on that said date of May 16, 2022, which proof of service is before your lordship,” he said.
Lawyer to the 4th defendant, John Aikpokpo-Martins, opposed the withdrawal of the suit and urged the court to dismiss the application with a cost of N1.5 million.
Counsel for the 2nd and 3rd defendants, Chris Nevo and T. J. Adi, respectively, did not object to the withdrawal notice.
However, Nevo asked the court to award a N1 million cost against Emefiele.
In his ruling, the presiding judge held that Emefiele has the right to withdraw the suit.
The judge thereafter struck out the application.
The ICIR reported that Emefiele, through his lawyer, Ozekhome, had approached the court with an ex-parte motion, seeking a constitutional interpretation as to whether he could contest the 2023 presidential election while holding on to his position as the CBN governor.
A reporter with the ICIR
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