President-elect, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to contest in the
March 28 presidential election is to decide on whether or not to
continue pursuing the case after the outcome of the poll.
Buhari, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives
Congress, was on April 1 declared winner of the election, defeating
the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic
Party.
Chukwunweike Okafor had filed the suit FHC/ABJ/CS/01/15, challenging
Buhari's eligibility to contest in the election before a Federal High
Court in Abuja.
The presiding judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, had on March 25, fixed
April 22 for hearing in the suit.
The judge had also adjourned two other similar suits in his court till
the same date.
Many had observed that the suit and other similar ones challenging
Buhari's eligibility could be more vigorously pursued if Buhari won
the election or become an academic exercise if Jonathan was declared
the winner of the poll.
Punch correspondent on Tuesday inquired from Okafor's counsel, Chief
Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who is leading other Senior Advocates of Nigeria
in the legal team, if his client would still be interested in pursuing
the case after Buhari won the presidential election.
The question sent as a text message to Ozekhome's phone had read in
part, "Sir, I want to know if your client is interested in the
eligibility suit against Buhari given the outcome of the election and
President Jonathan's decision to concede defeat?"
Ozekhome in his reply through a text message said, "I will discuss
with my client."
Apart from the suit by Okafor, there are two other suits before
Justice Ademola challenging Buhari's eligibility to contest in the
election.
The plaintiffs in all the three suits want the court to declare Buhari
ineligible to contest in the election on the basis of his alleged
failure to submit his certificate of academic qualifications along
with his Form CF001 to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
--PUNCH
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