Supreme Court dismisses appeal seeking Buhari’s disqualification over certificate 

The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Monday dismissed an appeal seeking the disqualification of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential poll over alleged act of perjury.

The appellants, Labaran Ismail, Hassy El-Kuris and Kalu Kalu had approached the apex Supreme Court to nullify the candidacy of President Buhari in the February presidential poll over allegations of perjury.

The court dismissed the appeal and upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal to the effect that it was statute barred and as such cannot be heard.

The appellants specifically asked that Buhari’s nomination and subsequent victory at the February 23 polls be nullified on the grounds that he lied on oath in his form CF 001 he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the purpose of clearance for the presidential election.

The appellants in the Notice of Appeal marked: CA/A/436/2019, the appellants, asked the Supreme Court for an Order to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal and hear the matter on merit and grant the reliefs sought in the Originating Summons.

The Court of Appeal in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Idris, had on July 12, 2019, held that the singular fact that the suit was filed outside the 14 days provided by the law robbed the court of jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

The suit was accordingly dismissed for being incompetent and lacking in merit.