Lawyer withdraws ‘certificate suit’ against Buhari

‎Adeniyi Ademola, justice of the federal high court, Abuja, has struck out a suit challenging the veracity of the academic credentials of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Delivering a ruling on Thursday, Ademola held that by “section 50(2) of the federal high court civil procedure rules the matter is hereby struck out”.

His order followed a motion for discontinuance filed by Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, the applicant himself.

‎On June 16, Ademola had adjourned the case indefinitely.

He had said that the case was being adjourned indefinitely following a notice of appeal filed by the president.

On June 15, Buhari had appealed against a previous ruling of the court dismissing his preliminary objection to the suit filed by Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, an Abuja based lawyer.

The bottom-line of Nwokocha’s suit was that Buhari was not qualified to run for president because he did not possess the minimum qualification to run for the office.

He had alleged that Buhari did not sit for the Cambridge West African School Certificate WASC) in 1961.

The president lined up a chain of senior lawyers to argue his case.

They are Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Lateef O. Fagbemi (SAN), Akin Olujinmi (SAN), Oluwarotimi O. Akeredolu (SAN), Kola Awodein (SAN), Taiwo Osipitan (SAN).

Others are Charles Edosomwan (SAN), Emeka Ngige (SAN), Femi Atoyebi (SAN), Femi Falana (SAN), Funke Aboyade (SAN), H.O. Afolabi (SAN), Muiz Banire (SAN), and 10 other counsel.

There had been controversy over the academic credentials of Buhari even before he became president.

The president allegedly did not include his WASC certificate in the binder of documents he tendered to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)- a requirement for‎ candidates in an election.

However, he‎ wrote to INEC saying that his secondary school certificate was with the military board.

But the military‎ board claimed that it did not have the document in its possession, thus setting the stage‎ for this present legal battle.