Abuja Based Lawyer Drags Buhari to Court Over Certicate...

The controversy over the All Progressives Congress, APC, General Muhammadu Buhari’s academic certificate has shifted to the court, as an Abuja-based lawyer, Mr. Chike Okafor has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, to disqualify Buhari from contesting February 14 presidential election on account of false information given by the candidate in the affidavit he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in support of his nomination form.



Okafor in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/01/2015, predicated the case on Section 131 of the Constitution which prescribes a minimum qualification for nomination to participate in Presidential elections and Section 31 of the Electoral Act that stipulates all presidential candidates to depose an affidavit in proof of compliance with constitutional requirement to be President of Nigeria.

The claimant is contending in the suit that Buhari failed to prove that he has the minimum educational qualification to run for President.

He is further contending that Buhari’s affidavit that he possesses the West African School Leaving Certificate (WASC) are false, as not only did he not attach it to his Nomination Form, as compulsorily required, but his claim that the certificates are in the custody of the military had been denied by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Olajide Laleye.

Okafor is, consequently, praying the court to disqualify Buhari from contesting the February 14 presidential election, citing Section 31(5) of the Electoral Act that allows a person that has reasonable grounds to believe that false information has been given by a candidate in his affidavit or document submitted to INEC, in support of his nomination form, to approach the court for the candidate to be disqualified.

- Vanguard