LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, has vowed to go on appeal over his suit seeking the arrest and prosecution of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last presidential election, Atiku Abubakar.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, dismissed the suit which Mr. Keyamo, then a spokesperson for the Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), filed in January in the build-up to the 25 February presidential poll.
The Judge, James Omotosho, described the suit as frivolous and vexatious.
He dismissed the suit with an award of N10 million fine against Mr Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The judge ordered him to pay N5 million to each of Atiku and the Independence Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC)
Mr. Keyamo, however, rejected the judgement 5 June judgement.
“We are immediately filing an appeal against the said decision to the Court of Appeal as the struggle on this issue continues,” Mr. Keyamo said in a statement released on his behalf by his law firm.
READ ALSO: Court Fines Keyamo N10m For Filing Frivolous Suit Against Atiku
The statement signed by the assistant head of the law firm, John Ainetor, said Mr Keyamo disagreed with the judge’s reasoning that the law enforcement agencies he asked the court to compel to investigate Atiku were not given enough time.
“Earlier today, a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the case filed by Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, against the candidate of the PDP in the last Presidential Election, Alhaji ATIKU Abubakar over the SPV saga principally because the court was of the opinion that the law-enforcement agencies were not given enough time to commence investigations before the suit was filed, amongst other sundry reasons.
“Our client respectfully disagrees with the reasons for the said decision because the law-enforcement agencies did not indicate their willingness to commence investigations, even if they were given more time. We want to establish a legal principle that the society cannot wait as infinitum for law-enforcement agencies to do their statutory duties. The suit was designed to prompt the agencies to show their READINESS to investigate,” the statement which Mr. Keyamo tweeted via his verified Twitter handle read in part.
