Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court has ordered that court documents in a fresh suit seeking to disqualify President Goodluck Jonathan from seeking re-election in the March 28 poll should be served on him, Premium Times reports.
The court said the papers should either be served on the president through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, or the Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.
The suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/1112/2015, instituted by Nkemjika Nkemjika was assigned to the court on Friday. The defendants in the suit apart from Mr. Jonathan are his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
A separate suit had earlier been filed seeking Mr. Jonathan’s disqualification from the presidential race before the court and another is also pending at the Court of Appeal.
Buhari’s court case’ outcome
The All Progressives Congress and its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, have opposed the orders of a Federal High Court in Abuja, directing that they be served through substituted means in the suit challenging Mr. Buhari’s eligibility to stand for the March 28 presidential poll, Premium Times reports.
The Judge of a Federal High Court Abuja, Adeniyi Ademola, had in two separate suits challenging Mr. Buhari’s eligibility to contest the election, last week granted ex parte orders permitting the plaintiffs, Chukwunweike Okafor and Max Ozoaka, to serve Mr. Buhari and the APC through newspaper publications.
The court had also granted an order of abridgment of time within which the defendants must respond to the suits.
The electoral empire, Independent National Electoral Commission, was also joined in the suit as defendants.
Counsels to Mr. Buhari and the APC informed the court Monday that they would file applications challenging the competence of the suits and the entire steps taken so far, including the orders of service through substituted means.
Their lawyers, Wole Olanipekun and Lateef Fagbemi, urged the court to adjourn the matter to enable them to file all the necessary documents.
The judge adjourned the suits to February 23.
