Delivering a ruling on Thursday at the federal high court sitting in Abuja, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, has officially struck out a suit challenging the veracity of the academic credentials of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The high court judge held that by “section 50(2) of the federal high court civil procedure rules, the matter is hereby struck out”. Recall that on June 16, Justice Ademola had adjourned the case indefinitely, saying that the case was being adjourned following a notice of appeal filed by the president.
On June 15, President Buhari had appealed against a previous ruling of the court dismissing his preliminary objection to the suit filed by Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, an Abuja based lawyer, for a motion for discontinuance
The bottom-line of Nwokocha’s suit was that Buhari was not qualified to run for president because he did not possess the minimum qualification to run for the office. He had alleged that the president did not sit for the Cambridge West African School Certificate WASC) in 1961.
The president lined up a chain of senior lawyers to argue his case, which includes: Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Lateef O. Fagbemi (SAN), Akin Olujinmi (SAN), Oluwarotimi O. Akeredolu (SAN), Kola Awodein (SAN), Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), Charles Edosomwan (SAN), Emeka Ngige (SAN), Femi Atoyebi (SAN), Femi Falana (SAN), Funke Aboyade (SAN), H.O. Afolabi (SAN), Muiz Banire (SAN), and 10 other counsels
There had been controversy over the academic credentials of Buhari even before he became president, as he allegedly did not include his WASC certificate in the binder of documents he tendered to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)- a requirement for candidates in an election.
However, he wrote to INEC saying that his secondary school certificate was with the military board. But the military board claimed that it did not have the document in its possession; thus setting the stage for this present legal battle
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