26th May, 2019
Lanre Babalola
Investigations have revealed that the ongoing smear campaign to truncate the chances of Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, being elected Speaker of the House of Representatives will fail.
The alleged US fraud conviction being levelled against Gbajabiamila by a Nigerian, Philip Undie, is not a new allegation.
PMNEWS gathered that it is an old case which was struck out for lack of diligent prosecution by an Abuja High Court last year when the plaintiff, Registered Trustees of Social Justice And Civil Rights, failed to appear in court to defend the allegation based on overwhelming evidence produced by Gbajabiamila.
Following their absence, the court struck out the matter in favour of the defendant.
Undie, in a suit marked HC/ABJ/CS/539/2019 which he filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, wants the court to declare Gbajabiamila unfit to be elected as a member or Speaker of the House of Representatives.
He said Gbajabiamila was convicted for fraud and dishonesty in the United States of America in 2007.
He also contended through his lawyer, Ayodele Justice, that by the virtue of Section 66 of the Nigerian Constitution, the judgment of the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia allegedly convicting and sentencing Gbajabiamila for fraud and dishonesty, the lawmaker was unfit to be elected as a member or Speaker of the House of Representatives.
But in dismissing the allegations against Gbajabiamila, The State Bar of Georgia (Office of the General Counsel) on August 30, 2010 absolved Gbajabiamila of any criminal conviction in a statement.
It wrote: To Whom It May Concern
”On February 26 2007, the Supreme Court of Georgia entered an order accepting Femi Gbaja’s petition for Voluntary Discipline suspending him from the practice of law in Georgia for a period of 36 months. I have attached a copy of the Court’s order.
”Mr Gbaja’s professional discipline was based upon his admitted violation of Georgia Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15(1)(Safekeeping Property), and was not related to a criminal conviction. Mr Gbaja is currently an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia.”
The letter was signed by Jenny K. Mittelman, Deputy General Counsel.
See the evidence below:
