Phrank Shaibu, an aide to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the immediate past minister of state for labour and employment, Festus Keyamo, for his decision to appeal a judgement that dismissed his petition to investigate Mr Atiku.

Ahead of the February presidential election, Mr Keyamo had written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and other anti-graft agencies to arrest and prosecute Mr Atiku over money laundering allegations.

On Monday, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court dismissed the suit and awarded a N10m fine against Mr Keyamo.

Mr Keyamo had in a statement posted via his Twitter account on Monday said he would be appealing the judgement because “Our client respectfully disagrees with the reasons for the said decision because the law-enforcement agencies did not indicate their willingness to commence investigations, even if they were given more time.

He added, “We want to establish a legal principle that the society cannot wait as infinitum for law-enforcement agencies to do their statutory duties. The suit was designed to prompt the agencies to show their READINESS to investigate.

Reacting to the development, Mr Shaibu who is the special assistant on public communication to Mr Atiku said the latest judgement was a reflection of Mr Keyamo’s incompetence as a lawyer.

“Eager to satisfy his paymasters, Keyamo did not wait for up to three days for the EFCC and other agencies to act on his petition but hurriedly filed a suit before the court seeking an order to mandate the agencies to act on his petition,” Mr Shaibu said.

According to him, the judgement was clear evidence that the former minister was only playing cheap politics.

He wrote, “Keyamo’s incompetence has been confirmed by Justice Omotosho. One wonders how he was elevated to the rank of senior advocate. Despite several clarifications that the allegations levelled against Atiku were trumped up, Keyamo refused to listen to reason.

“Rather than act like a refined lawyer as expected of a senior advocate, he decided to act like a political jobber. Now, he has been disgraced before the entire world. This was a man who served under the legendary Chief Gani Fawehinmi? What a shame!”

Mr Shaibu said Keyamo’s latest defeat was not surprising given the fact that he had lost many high-profile cases in court while he was an EFCC prosecutor.

He said, “When the jobless former minister was filing the frivolous case, we informed Nigerians that he would lose. The prediction was in line with his antecedent as a failed EFCC prosecutor. Today, we have been justified.

“He was the EFCC prosecutor against Governor Timipre Sylva but he lost the case. He represented the EFCC against Femi Fani-Kayode and also lost.

“Even the case he instituted against the Lagos State House of Assembly during the Tinubu certificate scandal marked ID/639M/99, Keyamo didn’t do better. In the case of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, in which Keyamo was the lead prosecutor, it also ended in another abysmal failure.

“Keyamo made a name for himself by constantly filing frivolous suits in order to entertain the media. He needs to throw his law certificate into the dustbin so he can face his job as a social media influencer.”