By TUNDE OYESINA

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja will on September 27 hear a suit challenging the citizenship status of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar. T he trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo set the date yesterday after counsel to the plaintiff; Akinola Oladimeji told the court he was unable to proceed. When the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2019, filed by a group – the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa was mentioned, Oladimeji told the court he was not prepared to go on because he only learnt that the case would come up the previous day. He added that he was earlier informed that the case was to come up for hearing on September 20.

Upon learning that there was a mix-up in case scheduling by the court’s registrar, Justice Ekwo then adjourned till September 27 for hearing but told the plaintiff that it would be the last adjournment. Egalitarian Mission filed the suit in 2019 to challenge Atiku’s eligibility to contest for president, arguing that he was not born a Nigerian. Other defendants in the suit are the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) and the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF). The plaintiff wants the court to declare that by provisions of Section 131(a) of the constitution; only a Nigerian citizen by birth can contest for the office of president. (Courtesy, New Telegraph)