A federal high court in Ibadan has reserved judgement in the case between Adebayo Shittu, minister of communication, and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The APC had disqualified Shittu from the Oyo state governorship primary over his failure to partake in the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
Shittu had failed to present himself for the scheme despite graduating from the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU) at age 25.
Following this, the minister sued the party, seeking redress for being screened out of the governorship primary election which held last year.
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Also joined in the suit is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The minister had argued that the 1979 constitution, under which he first contested for a political post, did not make it mandatory for anyone seeking an elective position to present an NYSC certificate.
At the court on Wednesday, Abdulhakeem Mustafa, counsel to the plaintiff, had among other things, urged the court to determine whether the ground for disqualifying his client was lawful or a contravention of the constitution.
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Mustafa argued that the constitution of Nigeria required anyone seeking to be a state governor to possess a maximum of Senior Secondary School Certificate and not necessarily an NYSC certificate.
He tendered a 38-paragraph affidavit and 13 exhibits before the court to support his claims.
But opposing the plaintiff’s prayer, Adebayo Ojo, the defence counsel, said the matter was already a dead issue.
“My lord, the plaintiff is merely flogging a dead horse because the matter is of no benefit to him or the party, APC,” he said.
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“It has become academic; the sister case he filed in federal high court, Abuja, has also been struck out.”
After filing of written addresses by the plaintiff and the defendants, P.I. Ajoku, the judge, fixed Thursday afternoon for judgment on the relieves sought by the minister.
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