A fresh hurdle for Buhari to cross has just been created. This is because, one group, Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative, has instituted a fresh suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, from swearing the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday.
The group filed the suit on Tuesday also seeking an order nullifying the certificate of return issued to Buhari by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The main issue is that Buhari did not qualify to contest the presidential election on the grounds that he gave false information about his academic qualification to INEC. Similar cases were filed early in the year but were all withdrawn after Buhari won.
In the fresh suit filed by its lawyer, Mr. Philip Ekpo, the group alleged that Buhari did not meet the qualification enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act to stand for the March 28, 2015 presidential election.
Buhari, INEC, the CJN are the 1st to the 3rd respondents in the suit respectively. The group stated that the 1st respondent deposed to an affidavit dated November 24, 2014 that his West African School Leaving Certificate is in the custody of the Secretary to the Military Board. And that the Nigerian Army on January 20, 2015, said that in the personal file of the 1st respondent with the Nigerian Army, they do not have the original copy of his West African School Leaving Certificate nor does the Nigerian Army have the Certified True Copy of his WASC results neither do they have a photocopy of the said result.
The case has not been assigned to any judge to hear it.