A suit seeking to challenge former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s eligibility to vie for the office of the president has been adjourned until Dec. 6 2021.
EMA is challenging Atiku’s eligibility to contest for presidency on the grounds that he was not a Nigerian citizen by birth.
The group asked the court to hold among others, that considering the provisions of sections 25(1) &(2) and 131(a) of the constitution and the circumstances surrounding the former vice president’s birth, he cannot contest for the top office.
The suit which is before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja was adjourned on Monday following the inability of the parties in the suit to regularise their amended processes to accommodate the 5th defendant (Attorney-General (AG) of Adamawa), who had been joined in the case at the request of the state.
The court, in the motion dated April 26 and filed June 24, granted the prayer of the AG of Adamawa to be joined in the case as 5th defendant.
The group, an Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA), in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2019 had sued Atiku, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as 1st to 4th respondents respectively.
However, when the matter was mentioned, counsel to EMA (plaintiff), Raphael Oyewole, said though the matter was slated for hearing, he regretted that he had to file a motion for an extension of time because he was yet to serve some of the parties in the suit.
He said the amended application to include the 5th defendant as ordered by the court had been served on the 1st, 4th and 5th defendants in the court.
