Senator Fatima Raji-Rasaki has advocated stiff penalty for people who go to court over false allegations thereby wasting the time of the court, taxpayers’ money and money of the defendant, NAN reports.

On Thursday the Ekiti Central PDP senator said that the tribunal had on Wednesday dismissed a case challenging her victory at the polls for lack of substance, adding that there should be penalties to pay for intentionally wasting the time of the court.

The senator insisted that her contenders at the tribunal knew quite well that there was no case but went ahead to challenge her victory at the polls.

Speaking about her victory in the Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Ekiti, she acknowledged that although it was the right of all Nigerians to seek redress in court, there should be some restrictions to avoid fragrant abuse of such rights.

Raji -Rasaki stated: “How can someone, from a party that was not known by anybody, who did not paste posters, who did not campaign and yet he wants to be declared winner by the tribunal he did not attend. The APC candidate contested with me but he also knew that the election was not marred with any irregularity yet he went to court but the judges went in-depth and found the allegations unfounded. As a lawyer, I think we should find a way so that when you don’t have a genuine case, at the end of the day, you are wasting the time and money of your opponent you should pay a compensation to the person you took to court.Some politicians know that their cases do not hold water but they will still go to court to try and in the process, waste people’s time and money; they should pay dearly for it”. 

The lawmaker who was a House of Representatives member between 2003 and 2007. and the wife of the former military administrator of Ogun, Oyo and Lagos states, Brig-Gen. Raji Rasaki (rtd) said people will continue to take frivolous cases to court if penalties and fines are not issued when people are found to have wasted the court;’s time.