by Ranti Joseph

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed February 11 for the hearing of a fresh suit seeking an order declaring President Goodluck Jonathan unfit to contest in the February 14 poll.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed, who also presides over two other suits challenging Jonathan’s eligibility to seek another term in office, fixed hearing date for the fresh suit on Tuesday, February 3.

The plaintiffs in the fresh suit are Tunde Samuel, Junaidu Mohammed, Rasak Adeogun and Yahaya Ezeemoo Ndu.

In an originating summons filed through their counsel, Yusuf Ali, SAN, the plaintiffs contended the eligibility of Jonathan to re-contest the office of the President, arguing that allowing him to do so could would amount to spending more than eight years allowed for anyone to serve in the office.

They want the court to declare that it is unconstitutional, unlawful, illegal and not permissible for any person to occupy the office of the president of Nigeria for more than a cumulative and aggregate period of eight years when the country was not at war, explaining that if Jonathan won another term of four years from 2015, he would have been permitted to occupy the office of the President for more than eight years.

They also asked the court to declare that in computing the period already spent in office as President by Jonathan, the period from May 6, 2010 to May 28, 2011 should be reckoned with.

The plaintiffs further seeks a declaration that having spent a period of more than four years in office as President since May 6, 2010, Jonathan no longer had the competence, authority or entitlement to contest for the same office for another term of four years.

Jonathan is the only defendant in the suit and he has yet to file his response.

Kolapo Olapoju