The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has gone to the federal high court in Abuja to defend Bola Tinubu asking the court to throw out a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the President-elect.
This comes after the PDP and Dino Melaye, a chieftain of the party, filed an order of mandamus to compel the NDLEA to arrest and prosecute Tinubu over an alleged forfeiture of funds relating to narcotics trafficking in the US.
In a preliminary objection filed on Wednesday, Joseph Sunday, director of prosecution of the NDLEA, said the application by the PDP and Melaye is “incompetent” and that the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain it.
The anti-narcotics agency said the suit by the opposition party should be struck out because it is “political in nature”, adding that it is not in the interest of Nigerians.
The NDLEA said the suit was targeted at removing Tinubu as a bonafide candidate in the February 25 presidential election.
The agency argued that an order of mandamus is an equitable remedy and should only be applied in good faith and should not produce an indirect or underlying result.
“The doctrine of judicial self-restraint precludes this honourable court from delving into matters with political colouration or matters aimed at getting direct or indirect political goals,” the suit reads.
