“The doctrine of standing by bears other names and purport: ‘Laches and acquiescence.

Acquiescence denotes consent to violation of right deducible from the expressed or implied conduct of the owner of the right. It occurs “when a person with full knowledge of his own right and of any acts which infringe them, has either at the time of infringement or after infringement by his conduct led the persons responsible for the infringement to believe that he waived or abandoned his right.’ See Nsiegbe v Mgbemena (2007) 10 NWLR (Pt. 1042) 364 at 374-375, per Kalgo, JSC, Oniwaya v Ikuomola (1990) 7 SCNJ 147, Kayode v Odutola (2001) 11 NWLR (Pt. 725) 659, Adedeji v Oloso (2007) 12 WRN 114; Chukwuma v Ifeloye (2009) 10 WRN 1, Isaac v Imasuen (2016) 5 WRN 29; (2016) 7 NWLR (Pt. 1511) 250. 

The law makes it incumbent on a party, who intends to employ it as a shield in a matter, to plead it explicitly or in such a manner as to show that he relies on it as a defence, Ilona v Idakwo (2003) 32 WRN 121.

Ajide v Governor of Osun State (2017) 31 WRN 153 at 167-168, lines 40-10