Gbajabiamila has never been convicted in the US, aide tells court

A member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who contested and lost the speakership seat during the inaugural sitting of the House on June 9, 2015,  has denied allegation of previous criminal conviction ‎in Georgia, United States of America.

He denied the allegation in response to a suit filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja‎ seeking an order stopping him from contesting the speakership election of the House of Representatives which eventually held on June 9, 2015.

The plaintiff – Social Justice and Civil Rights Awareness – through its counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), had anchored the suit on the grounds that Gbajabiamila, a lawyer, was not eligible to contest the speakership election because of his alleged “conviction” for  professional misconduct  by the Supreme Court of Goergia, United States of America in 2007.

Gbajabiamila eventually lost the speakership election to Yakubu Dogara, but Ozekhome insisted on Thursday that his client would go ahead to challenge the legislator’s eligibility to remain in the House of Representatives.

However, Gbajabiamila’s Senior Legislative Assistant, Osaze Ogunditie, stated in a counter-affidavit dated June 18, 2015, filed in opposition to a motion by the plaintiff seeking a restraining order against the legislator, denied the conviction record.

Ogunditie added  in the counter-affidavit that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi (legal right) to institute the suit.