- Led by a lawmaker from Nasarawa, the Democratic Youth Congress (DYC) wants the court to declare Buhari as automatically qualified to run for re-election in 2019
- The DYC complains that Buhari has remained mute over his ambition for 2019 despite an ultimatum for February 15 by the group
- The court is yet to fix a date for hearing of the suit
The Democratic Youth Congress (DYC), one of the political pressure groups in Nigeria, has dragged President Muhammadu Buhari before the Federal High Court, Abuja, over his delay in declaring his intention to run for the 2019 presidential election.
The Nigerian Tribune reports that Kassim Kassim and National Executive Council (NEC) of the party named also named the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, as well as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as defendants in the suit, aside President Buhari.
“In the suit filed and dated 26th February, 2018, the plaintiffs are praying the court for the interpretation of section 131 (a), (b), (c) and (d), and sections 137 (1) and (2) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
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“They are urging the court to determine whether, upon the provisions of the foregoing sections of the constitution, President Buhari would be deprived or subjected to any person or association from contesting the 2019 presidential election,” the report said adding that the plaintiffs are seeking “whether the first defendant (Buhari) after compliance with the 1999 constitutional provision, the electoral act and the guidelines to the extent of winning the 2015 presidential election as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, needs other further qualification to contest the 2019 presidential election.
“Whether the 1st defendant (Buhari), despite the various call, including the applicants (plantiffs)’ ultimatum dated 15th February 2018, will remain mute, without making a public declaration to contest the presidential election of 2019.”
The report said further that the plaintiffs also want to declare that Buhari is legally and constitutionally empowered to contest the 2019 presidential election pursuant to sections 131 and 137 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
Apart from that, they are praying the court for an order directing Buhari to declare his intention to contest for the presidential election as well as, an order directing him “to answer the clarion call by the plaintiffs to contest the presidential election of 2019 to the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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According to the report, the 24 paragraph affidavit was deposed to by a member of the Nasarawa state House of Assembly, Kassim Kassim, who is also a plaintiff in the suit and the national chairman of DYC.
The plaintiffs claimed they mobilised a million-man match in Abuja on February 15, to show solidarity to President Buhari, urging him to declare his interest in the 2019 presidential election.
The court is yet to fix a date for the hearing of the suit.
NAIJ.com earlier reported that the president of the Nigeria Youth Organisation(NYO), Abdullahi Wali, threatened to sue the country’s political leader, Muhammadu Buhari, if he refuses to seek re-election from the citizens in 2019, according to Vanguard.
The report said Wali, made the threat in a statement on Monday, February 26, in Abuja, sying he was reacting to an earlier comment credited to Buhari during a meeting with governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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Source: Naija.ng