Wale Ojo-Lanre, a child rights activist, has petitioned the Federal High Court in Lagos to strike down Labour Party (LP) flagbearer Peter Obi’s candidacy for involving a toddler in a political rally in Lagos.
According to Wale Ojo-Lanre, who slammed the LP flag bearer with a N50 million lawsuit, he is suing the respondents as a “concerned Nigerian and litigation friend” of the toddler.
The Labour Party, Queen (mother of the underage), the federal government, and the federation’s attorney general were among the other respondents in the suit marked ID/6332GCM/2022.
According to the plaintiff, he is seeking N50 million in damages from the first, second, and third respondents for violating the child’s rights.
He also claimed that it was illegal, deceptive, unlawful, exploitative, and abusive for the presidential candidate to post a photo and video of the toddler on Twitter on October 2 and refer to her as “a poster child.”
The first defendant allowed participation and usage of a toddler in an adult political rally, which took place on the street of Lagos on October 1. This is contrary to sections 29 and 33 of the Child Rights Act of Lagos State and Article 36 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Children, 1981,” the activist explained.
Mr Ojo-Lanre said he was seeking a court order to foster the child “to any welfare home under the accreditation and supervision of the federal ministry of women affairs or other appropriate authorities for proper care, education, protection and upbringing until she turns 18 years.”
In addition, we seek an order to disqualify the second respondent from participating in the 2023 presidential election for condoning, adopting, encouraging and allowing the usage of the toddler for his rally, stated Mr Ojo-Lanre.