A Lagos based refrigerator repairer, Olalekan Bayode has applied to the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to appoint him as a manager of the disputed $15m (N2.6B ) James Ibori alleged bribery money.
He also the court to make him an intervener in the dispute on the ownership of the money.
The refrigerator repairer through his United Kingdom based lawyer John Olufemi Aina sought the order of Justice Gabriel Kolawole to make him an intervener in the dispute and to appoint him as a sole agent to be in custody of the money till undisclosed period of time.
He asked Justice Kolawole to make an order compelling the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release the money to him for proper management following the dispute on the ownership of the huge fund by the federal government and Delta state.
The applicant who lives at Alagbado in Lagos will however on Friday November 23 know his fate on whether the court would grant his request or not.
Justice Kolawole reserved the ruling till the date following vehement objections to the request by the federal government lawyer Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) and counsel to Delta State Chief Charles Ajuyab SAN.
A fierce legal battle had erupted on the floor of the court yesterday following the absence of the applicant and his counsel who wrote directly to the Judge through DHC courier firm that hearing of his application be adjourned on the excuse that his daughter was indisposed.
The mode of writing the letter directly to the Judge instead of the court registrar as allowed by the law was faulted and the letter rejected.
Moving the objection against the request of the refrigerator repairer, the Attorney General of Delta state Chief Charles Ajuyah informed the court that the applicant failed to show his interest or ownership of the money.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria recalled the order made by the court on July 24 asking any Nigerian wishing to claim the ownership of the money to do so within 14 days before the order of forfeiture would be made.
The counsel argued that the court order made no provision for manager of the money but for claimant of its ownership.
He submitted that the application of the refrigerator repairer brought much after the expiration of the 14 days order of Justice Kolawole was in bad faith, baseless and a ploy to slow down hearing of the substantive case and asked the court to dismiss the request.
Also objecting to the request Mr. Rotimi Jacobs who stood for Federal government described the applicant as a meddlesome interloper who have no interest whatsoever in the subject of the suit.
The SAN urged the court not to make the applicant an intervener because he did not show any interest other than mere claiming of being a Nigerian, a refrigerator repairer in Lagos and a beneficial owner of the money.
Jacob also asked the court to go ahead with the substantive suit on the ground that the applicant has nothing to suffer legally if the suit was decided in his absence.
Justice Kolawole will however rule on November 23 on whether to allow the applicant come into the suit as an intervener and to appoint him as a manager of the money.
