The suit was filed by a civil society group, the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP).
In a judgment on Friday, Justice Okon Abang held that despite the plaintiff’s noble intention, his court lacked the jurisdiction to determine the merit of its claims in the case, because the plaintiff lacked the locus standi (the legal capacity) to initiate the suit.
Justice Abang was of the view that the fact that the plaintiff is a registered corporate body under the Company and Allied Matters Act was insufficient to clothe with the right to sue on behalf of the public.
He noted that, not being the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the political parties affected by the legislators’ defection, a member of any of the political parties, a member of the constituencies of the defecting lawmakers or a registered voters in the lawmakers’ constituencies, the plaintiff lacked the legal right.
(C) The Nation
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