ABUJA, Nigeria — On Friday, May 26, 2023, a federal high court in Abuja will decide on allegations of perjury and double nomination made against President-elect Bola Tinubu. The case was brought by a group of concerned Nigerians questioning Tinubu’s eligibility for the presidency.
This pending ruling adds further drama to Nigeria’s already tense political climate.
Justice Omotosho of the federal high court granted a substitute service order on Tinubu on Tuesday. This action followed a hearing in which the court heard the motion for an interim injunction aimed at stopping Tinubu from being sworn in as president.
“Upon listening to the plaintiffs’ counsel address the court on the locus standi of the plaintiffs and jurisdiction, I adjourned the matter to Friday for further hearing,” said Justice Omotosho.
In an unprecedented move, the court ordered hearing notices and all processes to be served on the defendants immediately. Among the defendants are Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Director-General of the Department of State Service, the Inspector General of Police, and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The concerned Nigerians – Praise Ilemona Isaiah, Pastor Paul Isaac Audu, and Dr Anongu Moses – allege that Tinubu, who was declared President-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), lied on oath about his possession of a Guinean passport.
Tinubu also faces accusations of dishonesty about his educational qualifications and forging education credentials.
The litigants seek to nullify Tinubu’s candidacy in the February 25 presidential election. Moreover, they demand an order to prevent Tinubu from being sworn in as president. Their claims include that Tinubu deliberately and falsely declared that he is not a citizen of any other country besides Nigeria, a statement which, if proven false, could prevent him from assuming the presidency.
In a separate case, the Incorporated Trustees of Governance Index Vs INEC, the court adjourned the proceedings to June 19, 2023.
The Govindex Leadership, Empowerment and Development Foundation led a group of Nigerians in this suit against the INEC.
They allege that INEC officials compromised the integrity of the February 25, 2023, Presidential election and demand their criminal prosecution. Their demands include that the INEC is mandated to electronically transmit, transfer, or upload the scanned copy of Form EC8A result of the polling units directly to the collation system.
The group is demanding five reliefs, two of which are: A DECLARATION that having regards to the provisions of the Section 160(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(As Amended), Sections 60(5) & 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, paragraph (Clauses) 38 (i), (ii) & (iii) of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022, the Defendant through her presiding officers are mandatorily required to electronically transmit, transfer or upload the scanned copy of Form EC8A result of the polling units directly to the collation system as prescribed by the Commission, that is, the usage of Bimodial Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) or such other relevant technology to upload the result into the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) immediately and in real-time after completion of the polling units voting and Results procedures but before taking the results to the ward collation Centre from the polling units.
AN ORDER OF THE COURT MANDATING the Defendant to compile names of the Presiding Officers, whether ad-hoc or permanent, who failed to upload or electronically transmit or transfer the Election results of the polling units directly to the collation system as prescribed by the Commission, that is the Bimodial Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) and send the said list to office of Inspector-General of Police for investigation and prosecution within 14 days of making the Order or such time as the Court may Order.
As Nigeria awaits the court’s decision, the future of the country’s leadership hangs in the balance, and the faith of the citizens in their electoral system is put to the test.
