Buhari
President Buhari

Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, the lawyer who instituted a suit seeking to nullify the election of President Muhammadu Buhari with the claim that he was not academically qualified, has withdrawn it. The lawyer did not give any reason for his decision. He was also not personally present at the Federal High Court in Abuja when his application for the discontinuation of the case was heard and granted today.

In instituting the case, Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe had claimed that Buhari possessed neither the Primary Six School Certificate nor the West African School Leaving Certificate which were some of the qualifications required by the Nigerian Constitution of persons running for the office of President. He also claimed that neither the Nigerian Army nor any of its organs was in possession of Buhari’s Primary Six School Certificate or his West African School Certificate as he claimed in an affidavit.

The lawyer, among other papers, sought “a declaration that the 3rd defendant (Buhari) was not qualified to stand for and contest the election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the 2015 general election for making false statement to INEC in breach of the provisions of section 31(6) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and failure to attach proof to his nomination form that he has attained educational qualifications to qualify to contest election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as set out in section 131(d) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe also sought “an order directing INEC to issue a new Certificate of Return to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, being the candidate who came second in the 2015 Presidential Election.”

To show how seriously President Muhammadu Buhari regarded the case, he hired the services  of some of the most prominent lawyers in Nigeria His defence team was led by Chief Wole Olanipekun and it had 13 Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

In striking out the case today, Justice Adeniyi Ademola said: “Following the notice of discontinuance filed by the plaintiff, pursuant to Order 50 Rule (2)(1) of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2009, this suit is hereby struck out.”