…Fixes July 8 for hearing
The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal on Monday ordered President Muhammadu Buhari to respond within five days to the appeal filed against his qualification for the 2019 presidential election.
Also to respond within same five days are the All Progressives Congress (APC), which nominated Buhari for the presidential poll and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which accepted Buhari’s nomination as candidate of the APC in the 2019 presidential election.
Justice Datti Yayaya who issued the order, also directed that Buhari’s counsel, Abdullahi Abubakar, must within the period file necessary processes in relation to the appeal filed against Buhari’s qualification by three appellants namely Agu Kalu, Labaran Ismail and Hassy El-Kuris.
The decision of the appellate court was sequel to a motion on notice filed by counsel to the appellants, Uchenna Ndubuisi, who prayed 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.
Abubakar and that of APC, Temitayo Lasaki, had urged the appellate court in their response to the motion 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 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 election.
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.
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