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.
Okofor, 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.