Child rights activist, Amb. Wale Ojo-Lanre, has served the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi a N50M lawsuit for allegedly involving a toddler in his political rally in Lagos.
A few weeks ago, a video of a young child at a Labour Party rally went viral online, and Peter Obi subsequently acknowledged the young girl.
According to The News Agency of Nigeria, child rights advocate Amb. Wale Ojo-Lanre filed the initial motion on notice before a family court in the Ikeja High Court on October 27.
Ojo is suing the respondent as a “Concerned Nigerian and litigation friend” of the toddler in the lawsuit with the filing number ID/6332GCM/2022, which also names the Labour Party, Queen (the underage girl’s mother), the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
He claims that Peter Obi’s posting of the toddler’s photo and video on his Twitter account on October 2 in order to refer to her as “a poster child” was dishonest, unlawful, exploitative, and abusive.
In his words;
“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.
We seek an order for the first and second respondents to delete their respective tweets and several other posts on their social media accounts in reference to the underage girl-child.
We also seek an order mandating the fourth and fifth respondents to withdraw the toddler from the care and custody of the third respondent.
We are seeking 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.”
A hearing date has not yet been scheduled.
