ABUJA- The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Monday, fixed January 31 for full-blown hearing of the suit seeking to disqualify President Muhammadu Buhari from participating in the 2019 presidential election.
The court presided by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, earlier ordered service of hearing notice on Buhari and other defendants in the matter.
The other defendants in the case are the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The suit marked FHC/CS/ABJ/1310/2018, was lodged before the court by three plaintiffs, Kalu Kalu, Labaran Ismail, and Hassy Kyari el-Kuris.
The plaintiffs are urging the court to disqualify Buhari on the premise that he supplied false information in the Form CF 001 he submitted to INEC, pertaining to his educational qualification.
They want the court to among other things, determine, “Whether having regard to the information in the affidavit contained in the 1st defendant’s INEC’s form, cf 001 regarding his educational qualification /certificate, the 1st defendant has submitted False information to the 3rd defendant.
“Whether from the facts and exhibit contained in the affidavit in support of this originating sermon and having regard to section 31 (5 and 6) of the electoral act as amended, the first defendant is disqualified from running for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2019 general election.
As well as, “Whether the first defendant, having submitted false information to the third defendant, the second defendant can validly present the first defendant as its candidate for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the 2019 general electionsâ€.
Upon the determination of the legal questions, the litigants applied for a declaration that the first Defendant (Buhari), submitted false information regarding his educational qualification /certificate for the purpose of contesting election into the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Likewise a declaration that the first defendant, having submitted false information regarding his educational qualification/certificate, is disqualified from contesting election into the office of the president of Nigeria.
They further want an order of court disqualifying the first defendant from presenting himself and or contesting as president in the general election.
An order of the court directing the third defendant to reject/remove the first defendant’s name as the presidential candidate of the second defendant submitted to it for the 2019 general election.
“An order of this honourable court restraining the first defendant from parading himself as the presidential candidate of the second defendant for the 2019 general election.
And an order of court restraining the second defendant (APC) from parading the first defendant as the second defendant’s presidential candidate for the 2019 general electionâ€.
President Buhari had applied for extension of time to enable him to file processes to challenge the competence of the suit.
Aside challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit, the 1st Defendant is further querying the locus-standi of the Plaintiffs to maintain the action.
Source:
www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/presidential-poll-court-fixes-jan-31-to-hear-suit-seeking-to-disqualify-buhari/
