Confusion in APC as Court to decide new applications on Buhari’s eligibility APC kicks says chaos unavoidable

A Federal High Court in Abuja will on ‎Wednesday rule on fresh applications by intended parties to join one of the suits challenging the eligibility of the presidential

candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), to contest Saturday’s presidential election.

The existing defendants in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission, Buhari and the APC.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola fixed Wednesday for ruling after hearing the intended parties’ applications on Tuesday.

‎The suit was filed on January 26, 2015, by a lawyer,  Chukwunweike Okafor, asking the court to declare Buhari ineligible to contest in the presidential election slated for Saturday over his (Buhari’s) alleged failure to submit his certificate of academic qualifications along with his Form CF001 to INEC.

Earlier on Tuesday, the judge ruled that he would on Wednesday hear both the main suit and Buhari’s pre‎liminary applications challenging the court’s jurisdiction together.

Those whose applications for joining the suit as defendants were heard on Tuesday were Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Chukwuma Ochu, Sunusi Musa, Ahmed Maitarki and the Fiscal and Civil Rights Enlightenment  Foundation‎.

Plaintiff’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), had, in his objection to the applications of the intended defendants, described the applicants as interlopers.

‎Buhari and the APC had also challenged the mode of service of the plaintiff’s originating summons on them.

Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who is representing Buhari and Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), counsel for the APC, had while opposing the plaintiff’s prayer to quickly hear the suit, argued that there there was no law stipulating that pre-election cases must be heard ‎before the conduct of the elections.

There are about 10 suits instituted against Buhari’s eligibility to participate in the presidential election slated for Sarturday.

They argued that failure of Buhari to submit his certificate of academic qualifications to INEC contravened provisions of sections 131 and 318 of the 1999 Constitution and section 31(3) of the Electoral Act, 2010.

Court disqualifying Buhari may lead to chaos – APC

The All Progressives Congress has warned against any orchestrated, last-minute disqualification of its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), in order to pave the way for an easy victory for President Goodluck Jonathan or even another postponement of the elections.

APC made this allegation following the adjournment, on Tuesday, of the consolidated suit seeking to disqualify the former military head of state.

The judgment on the suit, praying the court to disqualify Buhari from the presidential race for various allegations surrounding his certificate, was earlier fixed for Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The judgment is expected to be delivered on Wednesday.

In a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, the major opposition party warned that if the court ruling today proved unfavourable to its presidential standard bearer, there would likely be problem in the country.

“If it is true, as it is being widely speculated across the country, that the Jonathan administration has procured a judgment to disqualify the APC presidential candidate on Wednesday, when the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to rule on the issue, then it portends a great danger for our country,” the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, warned.

The statement stated that in addition to other reasons, the six-week postponement of the general elections might have been used by those who did not want the polls to hold in the first instance to bribe the court.

Mohammed said, “Anyone, who will disqualify a presidential candidate on the eve of an election, can only have one and only one purpose for that: to trigger chaos and pandemonium across the country. Perhaps this is the reason for the deployment of troops across the country to crack down on possible protests and create confusion.

 “Then, those who orchestrated the disqualification will simply use what they expect to be angry reactions nationwide as an excuse to postpone the elections again, thus triggering a constitutional crisis, the end of which no one can predict. This is why we are hoping that good reason will prevail and nothing will be done, deliberately, to plunge Nigeria into crisis by the same people, who have always been quick to say their political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.”