Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan has on Wednesday failed to convince the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal to entertain her plea demanding the reversal of seizure of her $5.7million and N2, 421,953,522.78 to the Federal Government.

The Appellate court said one of the three-man panel in charge of the case is avoiding hearing it for personal reasons.

The team of justices adjudicating on the case are Justice John Ikyeh, Abimbola Obaseki and Abrahim Georgewill, and all three must form a quorum to validate a judgment.

The court however suspended hearing till September 18.

Mrs Patience was appealing an order by a Lagos Federal High Court empowering the EFCC to confiscate her money for onward transfer to the federal government’s coffers.

The commission had argued before the court presided over by Justice Mojisola Olatoregun that the said monies were proceeds from illegal activities by the former first lady. 

According to EFCC, the N5.7m was a fraction of the $6,791,599.64 (about N2.1billion) paid into her account on the order she gave her aide between February 8 2013 and January 30 2015, during the tenure of her husband, former President Jonathan.

About $949, 282.98 (an equivalent of N296, 141,911), the commission held, has been spent by the former first lady.

Besides, another withdrawal of $100,000 was made by the former first lady from the account in April, which now left a balance of $5,731,173.55.

Justice Olatoregun’s order also place a ban on the Ecobank Nigeria Ltd account number 2022000760 owned by La Wari Furniture and Baths Ltd. The account has in it a sum of N2, 421,953,522.78. It was established by the commission that the money also belonged to Mrs Jonathan.