A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday, fixed Otober 19 for the hearing of a suit demanding the disqualification of the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the 2023 election over alleged certificate forgery.
The reason for the new date by
Justice Obiora Egwuatu was for parties in the suit to complete the filing of their processes and exchange same as required by law before the adjourned date.
Tinubu, the major defendant in the alleged certificate forgery saga has, hence, engaged the services of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Babatunde Ogala, to enable him fortify his defense.
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At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel for Action Alliance which instituted the suit, Mr Ukpai Ukairo, informed the court that he received the Notice of Preliminary Objection from Tinubu asking the court not to go on with the case against him on various grounds.
Stating the grounds, Tinubu claimed that the basis for the certificate forgery suit against him was rooted in the 1999 electoral forms he submitted to the then electoral body.
Again, he claimed that the report of the Lagos State House of Assembly which probed him on the alleged certificate forgery was the major foundation of the fresh suit and hence, has become statute-barred.
Ukairo then informed the court that the above claims of the former Lagos State Governor especially on the statute barred position would be adequately addressed in the subsequent proceedings.
Additionally, Tinubu’s claims which were made orally by his counsel would have to be made formally and served on him to enable him respond appropriately, Ukairo told the Judge.
While the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC which is the 1st defendant in the suit begged the court for more time to respond to the suit since the APC was not represented in court despite proof of service of the suit on it.
The Judge accordingly adjourned the matter till Oct. 12, for parties to put their houses for proper hearing of the alleged certificate forgery suit.
Egwuatu in addition ordered the plaintiff to be ready to call its witnesses on the adjourned date to initiate his case against Tinubu.
Recall that the Action Alliance on June 21 asked a Federal High Court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission from including the name of the All Progressives Congress in the ballot of the 2023 presidential election.
The plaintiff in the Writ of Summon marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/954/2022, predicated its request on the claim that both the APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu are not qualified to participate in the 2023 presidential election on alleged forgery committed by Tinubu in 1999.
