PDP member loses bid to join suit against GEJ’s 2015 ambition

The supreme court has dismissed the attempt of Umar Ardo, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, to join a separate suit against President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the 2015 presidential election.

The dismissed suit was filed by Urmar Ardo, a PDP chieftain in Adamawa state, who was seeking application to join as a party in an earlier suit filed by Cyriacus Njoku, a PDP member from Zuba ward in Abuja.

Njoku had asked a high court in Abuja to declare the president ineligible to contest another term of office on account that it is unconstitutional to take an oath for the same office more than twice. The respondents in the suit were Jonathan, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In seeking to join the suit, Ardo faulted the decision of PDP to field Jonathan as sole candidate, saying he was interested in the presidential ticket of the party, but he was forced out of the race by Jonathan’s sole adoption.

However, the court of appeal barred him from joining himself in the suit on the ground that he did not show a reasonable interest warranting his joinder.

Dissatisfied, he approached the supreme court to set aside the ruling of the appellate court.

During the hearing of the case at the apex court on Tuesday, Mahmud Mohammed, the chief justice of Nigeria, who led a seven-man panel of justices, struck out the appeal.

He ruled that the substantive suit challenging Jonathan’s eligibility was before the appellate court, noting that Ardo lacked the locus standi to move the apex court to either take over hearing on the matter or compel the appeal court to join him as an interested party in the pending appeal.

Mahmud further said Ardo could ‎not challenge Jonathan’s eligibility because no law stopped him from participating in the convention of the party, which held on December 10.