Anti-inauguration suit: Plaintiff, lawyer absent in court

The suit filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the inauguration of the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, came up on Wednesday but neither the representative of the plaintiff nor its counsel showed up.

The suit was filed on Tuesday by ‎a non-governmental organisation, Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative.

With an affidavit of urgency filed‎ along with the plaintiff’s application for interim injunction, ‎the matter was assigned to Justice Ahmed Mohammed, and was listed for hearing on Wednesday.

The matter was mentioned three times on Wednesday within intervals of two hours in between successive stand-down,‎ but no representative of the plaintiff or its lawyer who filed the suit on its behalf, Mr. Philip Ekpo, was present in court.

Though the application filed ‎by the plaintiff was an ex parte, Buhari was represented in court by a Senior Advocate of Nigerian, Lateef Fagbemi, who remained within the court promises until the court rose for the day.

Justice ‎Mohammed also disclosed that none of the court processes, including the originating summons had been filed on the respondents in the suit.

It could not be ascertained if a new date had been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, are the 1st to the 3rd respondents in the suit respectively.

The plaintiff is seeking an order restraining the CJN from swearing in the Buhari on Friday, May 29.

The suit also seeks an order nullifying the certificate of return issued to Buhari by the INEC.

The plaintiff hinged the suit on the allegation that Buhari did not qualify to contest the Presidential election on the grounds that he gave false information about his academic qualification to  INEC.

Between January and February 2015, there were about 10 cases instituted by various plaintiffs challenging Buhari’s eligibility to stand for the poll on the grounds of his academic qualification controversy. But after he won, the cases were withdrawn.