May 29 swearing-in: Tinubu knows fate on Friday

Ahead of the planned May 29 swearing-in of President-elect Bola Tinubu, a Federal High Court in Abuja has again given Friday, May 26 to rule on a suit seeking his disqualification from being sworn in.

The president-elect has been in the eyes of the storm since he was declared winner of the February 25 presidential election with Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), urging the courts to nullify the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which declared Tinubu winner of the election.

The suit is asking the court to declare Bola Tinubu unfit to stand as a candidate in the 25 February presidential election, as well as stop him from taking the oath of office as president on May 29, 2923.

The Supreme Court had earlier fixed Friday for judgement in a suit filed by the PDP, challenging Tinubu’s victory on account of the alleged double nomination of Kashim Shettima as his vice-presidential pick and as a senatorial candidate for the 2023 general elections.

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Recall that candidate of Hope Democratic Party in the 2019 presidential election, Albert Owuru, had also approached the Court of Appeal, Abuja, seeking an order of the court to nullify Tinubu’s declarations as the winner of the February 25 presidential election, in a suit marked CA/ABJ/CV/259/2023

To clear the coast for hearing of the suit, the appellate court on May 18, heard a joinder motion by Tinubu as argued by Wole Olanipekun, Chambers and in a brief ruling, granted Tinubu’s request and joined him as 4th respondent along with President Muhammadu Buhari and INEC in the matter.

The court had also ordered that Buhari, AGF, INEC and Tinubu as 1st to 4th respondents should file their respondent briefs and serve the appellants.

Owuru is praying the Court of Appeal in Abuja to prohibit President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and INEC from inaugurating the 2023 president-elect on May 29.