The Court of Appeal in Abuja is set for definite hearing today of a fresh suit which is seeking to stop the inauguration of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on May 29.
The court mandated that the lawsuit CA/ABJ/CV/259/2023, which seeks to stop Tinubu from being sworn in as Nigeria’s new president and taking office on May 29, must be heard conclusively by today at 3 p.m.
To clear coast for hearing of the suit, the Appellate Court on May 18 heard a joinder motion by Tinubu and argued by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, and in a brief ruling, granted Tinubu’s request and joined him as 4th respondent, along with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The court then directed that Buhari, AGF, INEC, and Tinubu as the first to fourth respondents to file their Respondents’ Briefs and serve the Appellants by 10 am this morning.
Tinubu was immediately added to the lawsuit on the grounds that he has interests that could be harmed.
The Appeal Court also mandated that the Appellants submit their Reply Brief by noon today and serve the Respondents, and it set the hearing time for the case for 3 pm today.
The first appellant in the case, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru, acknowledged the appearance of the hearing notice on the Court of Appeal’s notice board.
The suit is instituted by a Presidential candidate in the 2019 Presidential election and constitutional lawyer, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru and his political party, Hope Democratic Party (HDP).
Owuru, who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, is praying the Court of Appeal in Abuja to prohibit President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from inaugurating the 2023 President-elect on May 29.
The politician, who ran for office in 2019 under the banner of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), wants Buhari, AGF, and INEC to be restrained from taking any further action regarding the 2023 presidential election, which Tinubu won.
In opposition to the inauguration of Tinubu or anyone else as Buhari’s successor, Owuru, who asserted that he had been declared the constitutional victor of the 2019 presidential election, complained that Buhari had not used up his four years in office as required by law.
