Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has imposed a fine of N17M on three litigants and their lawyer for filing a frivolous suit seeking to stop the inauguration of the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Justice Omotoso imposed the fine on Praise Ilemona, Pastor Paul Issac Audu and Dr Anongu Moses who jointly instituted the suit praying for an order to halt swearing-in of Tinubu as new President.
The three litigants are to jointly pay the President-Elect the sum of N10M and another N5M to the All Progressives Congress APC who were part of the seven defendants in the suit.
Justice Omotoso also ordered that an interest of 10 percentage be placed on the judgment debt per year until when finally liquidated
Their lawyer, who filed the suit was ordered to pay N1M to each of Tinubu and the APC.
At the day’s proceedings, their counsel pleaded with the court to pardon his clients and advised that the court should counsel them against embarking frivolous suit in future.
Counsel to Tinubu, Lateef Fagbemi, had argued that the suit be dismissed on the ground that the three plaintiffs lacked locus standi to institute it.
The senior lawyer informed the Court that non of the plaintiffs participated in the primary election that produced the President-elect, but chose to harassTinubu through the suit.
Mr Fagbemi further argued that the litigants engaged in gross abuse of court process by their multiple cases against Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress in various courts without any reasonable cause of action.
The three plaintiffs had in their suit, sought to stop the May 29 inauguration on the alleged ground that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu supplied false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission about his age and citizenship status.