On Monday, January 30, the Federal High Court in Abuja is scheduled to issue a historic ruling in a case seeking the removal of President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) from office due to alleged irregularities in the 2019 presidential election.
The verdict that Justice Inyang Ekwo is expected to issue will also address a motion to halt the conduct of the February 25th, 2023 presidential election.
Journalists at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja recently came across an announcement for the judgment delivery, which stated that Justice Ekwo would give the decision by 9 am on Friday.
Abubakar Malami (SAN), Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who serves as President Buhari’s Chief Legal Officer, received the notice immediately.
According to reports, Chief Ambrose Owuru, the Hope Democratic Party’s presidential candidate for the 2019 election who was born in Rivers State, has filed a lawsuit against Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
However, Owuru, a constitutional lawyer with British training admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1984, requested that the Federal High Court pronounce him the election’s victor.
He had requested the court, among other things, to rule on the legitimacy or otherwise of INEC’s 2019 decision to move the poll from February 16 to March 23.
He asserted that INEC violated the constitution in unconstitutional and unlawful methods, shifting the presidential election, and that Muhammadu Buhari’s proclamation of victory as a result of this illegal act should be deemed void and without force.
He based his argument on the fact that the Supreme Court had not rendered a decision on the petition he filed against Buhari as required by law.
The lawmaker argued that inconsistencies in the hearing dates that were communicated to him led to the unjust dismissal of his case by the Supreme Court after his absence from the Apex Court.
Therefore, he requested that the court dismiss Buhari, recognize him (Owuru) as the legitimate President, and order Buhari to return all of the money he had received in the form of wages, emoluments, and security votes.
The HDP presidential candidate also requested that the Federal High Court order INEC to refrain from holding the 2023 presidential election and that he be inaugurated for a four-year term following Buhari’s ouster from office.
The lawsuit requested that the court order President Buhari to return any funds he received as wages, emoluments, and security votes while alleging that Buhari had seized his authority.
After Buhari, the AGF, INEC, and the plaintiff adopted final addresses on November 4 of last year, Justice Ekwo set the judgment date of January 30 as the day on which the case would be decided.
I will continue to support Buhari, says Tinubu
Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress’s presidential candidate, has denied any differences of opinion with President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), calling the latter’s support as unwavering and durable.
Speaking at the APC rally on Saturday in Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State, Tinubu promised to use the state’s agricultural potential to address its developmental issues.
The former governor of Lagos State began his planned address by stating, “I have supported Buhari even before his first day in office. Even after he leaves office, I’ll still remain his supporter and buddy.
“He took on the issues that other leaders avoided. It is impossible to dispute that he has earned a place in history.
“I have said this before and I will say it again now: President Buhari shall be treated very favourably because of his services to the nation when the actual history of this moment is written,” he said.
“Their vision for Nigeria is the vision of one who cannot see,” Tinubu stated, urging the populace to reject opposition politicians. They want to impoverish you in order to profit themselves. To prevent you from going hungry, they want to consume everything. They want to be the owner of everything while giving you nothing.
“We are demonstrating here today that our vision for a better Nigeria will prevail over theirs, which is a broken Nigeria in their eyes. Keep in mind that blind ambition goes hand in hand with blind vision.
“We won’t let their egotistical games defeat you. Buhari has contributed to releasing Nigeria from their cruel control. We must now play our part by rescuing you from their vindictive schemes for you and our precious country.
“Don’t allow those people trick you into going back to the past where there was no hope for you and no control over the life you would lead and the future you would enter. The APC continues to be the nation’s best and exclusive hope for more prosperity and stability, he continued.
He also commended the governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, for his work in addressing the security issues in the state and emphasized that he and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, had what it takes to bring peace to the entire country, not just Zamfara.
The presidential contender was cited as saying in a statement released by the Tinubu Media Office and signed by Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, “If Allah blesses us to win this election, we will not relent until we defeat this problem.
“My running companion has faced off against Boko Haram. I have fought kidnappers and violent criminals as the governor of Lagos. To defeat the wrongdoers, we shall draw on our knowledge and our insight.
“All branches of the security forces will be strengthened by my security plan. There will be more personnel, and we will enhance their capacity to locate, track down, and arrest evildoers. We’ll track them down and apprehend them using cutting-edge air and ground technology.
When asked about his vision for the state, Tinubu said, “Zamfara has huge quantities of natural resources. My economic strategy is to work closely with the state government to draw the right kind of mining investment. The people of Zamfara will not be abused by this investment. Instead, it will pave the way for safer mining, improved employment opportunities, and greater state economic growth.
Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the chairman of the APC national committee, and Matawalle both addressed the crowd and asked the residents of the state to support Tinubu in order to make Nigeria affluent.