BEVERLY HILLS, March 25, (THEWILL) – Barely 12 hours after the All Progressives Congress (APC) warned against last minute disqualification of its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, from participating in the Presidential Election scheduled to hold on Saturday, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja Wednesday morning cleared the way for Buhari to contest in the election.
This is as the court, which adjourned further hearing in the suit seeking to disqualify him till April 22 and 23, held that none of the parties seeking to be joined in the suit had shown enough interest that could warrant their joinder, describing them as “interlopers and busy body.”
Four different plaintiffs had approached the court seeking to disqualify Buhari from participating in the presidential election scheduled to hold on Saturday over alleged certificate forgery and perjury.
But when the case came up for hearing Wednesday morning, the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, refused the joinder application brought by Ebunoluwa Adegoruwa and Chukwuma Ochu seeking to be joined in the matter.
He also adjourned till April 22 and 23 for hearing of the matter against Buhari.
Recall that one Chika Okafor had approached the court seeking to stop Buhari from participating in Saturday’s presidential election over alleged certificate forgery and perjury and while the case was pending, APC applied to be joined and was consequently joined as a co-defendant.
Buhari , who is being represented by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), had also challenged the mode of service of court papers on him and also the order to abridge time.
This came as APC through its counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), also filed a preliminary objection as to entertaining the suit by the court.
The court had earlier fixed Tuesday for the ruling on abridgement of time and mode of service of the process on Buhari but when the case resumed, Ebunoluwa Adegoruwa also brought an application for joinder, premising his application on the ground that he was a pro-democracy activist and wants to ensure that all the candidates were granted equal right.
On his part, another applicant, Chukwuma Ochu, premised his application on the ground that Buhari was his candidate in the forthcoming election as he submitted that if Buhari was disqualified, he would be disenfranchised.
However, counsel to the plaintiff, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) urged the court to reject the application for joinder on ground that the applicants are meddlesome interloper and busy body.
