Buhari Opposes Suit Seeking His Disqualification

Buhari Opposes Suit Seeking His Disqualification

Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress APC, General Muhammadu Buhari on Monday challenged two suits filed against him at the Federal High Court  in Abuja seeking to disqualify him from contesting in the forthcoming presidential polls over alleged certificate forgery and perjury.

One Chike Okafor and Max Ozoaka had in separate suits approached the court seeking to stop Buhari.

The court had last week granted an order of substituted service of court processes on Buhari in the two suits.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, Buhari through his counsel, Wole Olanipekun SAN who led about seven other Senior Advocates of Nigeria told the court that he opposed   the suit in its entirety.

He also asked the court to set aside the  athe order for substituted service granted in favour of the plaintiffs.

Olanipekun also told the court that his client was still within time to file his process.
He thereby prayed for a short adjournment to enable him file his defence to the suit.

Also, counsel to APC, Lateef Fagbemi SAN who appeared with Funke Aboyade, SAN submitted that with the postponement of the elections as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on Saturday, there was no urgency in the matter and as such the order for substituted service be set aside.

He also sought  a short adjournment to enable him file his process to the suit.

Plaintiffs in the two suits did not oppose  the request for adjournment.

The trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola after listening to all the parties adjourned till February 23 for hearing of all pending applications.

Okafor premised his suit on ground that there was no evidence that Buhari possessed the academic qualifications he claimed.

Okafor, via an Originating Summons is asking for an order compelling INEC to remove or delete the name of Buhari and his party, APC in the list of persons and political parties eligible to contest for the office of President.

Listed in the suit are Buhari, APC and INEC as first to third defendant.

He wanted  the court to hold that the information contained in Buhari's  Form C.F 001 stating ‎that his educational qualification in the West African School Leaving Certificate (WASC) is false and was thereby disqualified from contesting in the 2015 general elections