How court ordered Buhari to respond to certificate forgery suit within five Days

The certificate forgery allegation against President Muhammadu Buhari is still lingering at the Court of Appeal even after the President has been inaugurated for second term. The Court of Appeal at itssitting on Monday ordered the President to respond to the appeal challenging his qualification to contest the 2019 presidential election.

The presiding judge, Justice Datti Yayaya, further ordered counsel to Buhari, Abdullahi Abubakar, to within the period file all necessary processes in relation to the appeal filed against Buhari’s qualification by three appellants who include Agu Kalu, Labaran Ismail and Hassy El-Kuris.

The Appeal Court directive came up after a motion on notice filed by counsel to the appellants, Uchenna Ndubuisi, who requested the Court of Appeal in the motion to abridge within which Buhari, APC, and INEC will join issues with the appellants on the certificate suit.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which nominated Buhari for the 2019 presidential election and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which accepted Buhari’s nomination were also ordered to within five days respond to all issues raised on the educational qualification of President Buhari in the election.

Abubakar and counsel to APC, Temitayo Lasaki, were said to have requested the Court to give them five days to enable them file their respondents’ brief of argument along with other processes so as to set the stage for the hearing of the substantive appeal.

Kalu, Ismail, and El-Kuris had approached the appellate court to nullify and set aside the Judgment of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court which declined to hear their suit instituted to challenge the educational qualification of President Buhari before the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

The appellants in their appeal are asking the appellate court to reverse the judgment of Justice Ahmed Mohammed on the grounds that the processes filed by Buhari and used to strike out their suit were not competent.

They had further prayed for an order of the court directing INEC to remove Buhari’s name as a candidate of APC and another order restraining Buhari from parading himself as a candidate in the 2019 presidential election and also APC from recognizing Buhari as a candidate.

Hearing in the appeal has been adjourned to July 8.