Certificate: Lawyer Wants Court To Determine Buhari’s Eligibility

A legal practitioner, Chukwunweike Okafor has written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Abuja for a special hearing on a case seeking to determine the eligibility or otherwise of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari over school certificate issue.

Okafor, a senior partner at Emerald Attorneys & Solicitors, appealed to the judge to set up a panel that will begin hearing on the suit, since the courts had been on strike.

He said in a letter addressed to the chief judge, which was dated January 12, that the suit had been ready since January 6, but could not be filed due to the industrial action embarked upon by the federal high court staff nationwide.

The lawyer said there was the need to commence hearing on the suit “As a result of the nature and urgency of this matter which borders on the qualification or non-qualification of General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) who is the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“My Lord, we have reviewed all the documents published by the Independent National Electoral Commission and inclusive of the said documents is the affidavit deposed by General Muhammadu Buhari which clearly shows that the nomination of General Muhammadu Buhari by the All Progressives Congress does not meet the minimum requirement enshrined in Section 31 (d) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He said upon this review, “we have formed a strong case to be made for the qualification or non-qualification of General Muhammadu Buhari to contest as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 elections.”

Mr Okafor then sought departure from the rules of the court to hear the case, despite the ongoing strike, which, he said, becomes necessary since the presidential election has been slated to hold in less than 30 days from now.