Buhari can’t be disqualified, says APC

Are there plans to disqualify All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari?
Buhari’s “disqualification” will spark a crisis, which will force another postponement of the general elections.
This, the APC alleged yesterday, is the script the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is likely to be working on.
The APC, in a statement by its spokesman Lai Mohammed in Abuja warned against any “orchestrated, last-minute disqualification of Gen. Buhari to pave the way for an easy victory for President Goodluck Jonathan or even another postponement of the elections.

‘’If it is true, as it is being widely speculated across the country, that the Jonathan Administration has procured a judgement to disqualify the APC presidential candidate on Wednesday (today), when the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to rule on the issue, then it portends a great danger for our country.”
The elections were initially scheduled for February 14 and February 28 before they were shifted to March 28 and April 11.
The APC said, in addition to other reasons, the six-week postponement of the elections may have been used by those who never wanted the polls to hold in the first instance to shop for such a “satanic” judgment.
‘’Anyone who will disqualify a presidential candidate on the eve of an election can only have one and only one purpose for that: to trigger chaos and pandemonium across the country. Perhaps this is the reason for the deployment of troops across the country to crack down on possible protests and create confusion.
‘’Then, those who orchestrated the disqualification will simply use what they expect to be angry reactions nationwide as an excuse to postpone the elections again, thus triggering a constitutional crisis,
the end of which no one can predict.

‘’This is why we are hoping that good reason will prevail and nothing will be done, deliberately, to plunge Nigeria into crisis by the same people who have always been quick to say their political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian,’’ the APC said.
A Federal High Court in Abuja will today decide whether or not to approve applications by a new set of people seeking to be made parties in a suit to stop Gen. Buhari from contesting the election.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola fixed today for ruling after taking arguments from parties on the merit or otherwise of the applications filed by about five people, including a group, the Fiscal and Civil Rights Enlightenment Foundation (FCREF).
Also seeking to be made a party in the suit are a Lagos lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, an APC member in Rivers State, Chukwuma Orchu, Sunusi Musa and Ahmed Maitarki (who said they were delegates at the party’s last presidential primary election).
Should the judge grant the applications of those seeking to join the suit, the court will adjourn for the plaintiff to amend its originating processes to reflect the new parties. If he refuses to join them, the judge may proceed to hear all pending applications with the main suit – in line with his earlier ruling.
Justice Ademola on Tuesday elected to take all pending applications together. By this, he intends to hear all pending interlocutory applications by the defendants (the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Buhari and APC) and the plaintiff, with the substantive suit.
Shortly after the judge’s ruling, defendants’ lawyers, led by Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), drew the court’s attention to the fact that it was yet to resolve the question of whether or not the defendants were properly served, an issue which the defendants raised and asked the court to decide before proceeding to hear the main suit.
The judge adjourned till today to resolve all pending preliminary issues.
The suit was filed on January 26 by a lawyer, Chukwunweike Okafor, who is seeking, among others, an order declaring that Gen. Buhari lacked the educational qualification to stand for the presidential election on the grounds that he allegedly failed to attach his certificate to the form submitted to INEC.