The court will rule on January 30 in a lawsuit seeking Buhari’s resignation from office

A federal high court in Abuja will rule on January 30 in a lawsuit seeking the removal of President Muhammadu Buhari from office for alleged illegalities in the 2019 presidential election.

The verdict to be handed down by Judge Inyang Ekwo will also resolve a request to halt the conduct of the 2023 presidential election.

It was gathered that a notice for the verdict had been served on the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) as Chief Law Officer of the Federation for President Buhari.

A presidential candidate in the 2019 election on the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) platform, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru, has taken legal action against Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wants the court to, among other things, determine legality or otherwise of INEC’s decision in 2019 in which it moved the election from February 16 to March 23, 2019.

He claimed that INEC acted against the constitution in unlawful and unlawful ways and manners, that the presidential poll had shifted, and that Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration as the winner of the unlawful act should be declared null and void and of no effect.

Owuru, a British-educated constitutional lawyer, was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1984 but asked the Federal Supreme Court to declare him the winner of the poll on the grounds that the petition he had filed against Buhari had not been reviewed by the Supreme Court as required by law.

The politician claimed that his petition to the Supreme Court was unfairly rejected after his absence from the Apex Court due to discrepancies in hearing dates.

Therefore, he prayed the court to remove Buhari and declare him (Owuru) the authentic president and that Buhari would be forced to pay back all the money he collected as salaries, payments and security votes.

The HDP presidential candidate also asked the court to order his inauguration for a four-year term after Buhari was removed from office and that the federal Supreme Court stop INEC from holding the 2023 presidential election.

Claiming that President Buhari will take over his term, the plaintiff prayed to the court to compel Buhari to pay back all the money he collected as salaries, emoluments and security votes.

Judge Ekwo had set a date of January 30 for judgment on November 4 last year after approving the latest speeches by President Buhari, AGF, INEC and the prosecution, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru.