An application to stop the certificates forgery suit instituted against the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu, by a factional group of Action Alliance (AA) party, has been dismissed by a Federal High Court in Abuja, Monday.
The application by Bola Tinubu’s loyalists, led by Adekunle Omo-Aje, was rejected by the court from being joined as an interested party to defend the presidential hopeful in the certificate forgery suit instituted against him by the AA party.
In a ruling on the joinder application of Omo-Aje and his faction, Justice Obiora Egwuatu struck out the request on the grounds that conditions precedent for such rejoinder to be allowed were not presented to the court.
Egwuatu also held that Omo-Aje did not establish his claim as National Chairman of the AA, or even explain how his interest would be jeopardized if not joined as a defendant in the suit.
While he dismissed the rejoinder request, he held that the group was considered a meddlesome interloper and busy body until their interests that might be affected are clearly established.
He ruled that the duo of Adekunle Omo-Aje and Ambassador Suleiman Abdumalik who filed the joinder application on behalf of their faction, failed to meet up with the conditions on why they should be joined. He also held that they did not successfully make out a case to convince the court to join them, in any form.
In the joinder application, the factional group sought for the dismissal of the suit against the APC and Bola Tinubu, maintaining that as officers of the party, they never authorized the suit to be filled on behalf of the party.
Justice Egwuatu eventually ordered that the plaintiff (AA) should open its case of certificate forgery allegations against Bola Tinubu, Friday November 4, while pointedly stating that witnesses in the suit must appear before the court in order to enable it determine the suit within time stipulated by law.
The Action Alliance Party is seeking that Bola Tinubu is disqualified from the presidential election in 2023, in the suit, on the grounds of alleged certificate forgery.
Recall that on June 21st, the party asked the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from adding the name of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the ballot of the 2023 presidential election.
In the Writ of Summon marked ‘FHC/ABJ/CS//954/2022’, the party predicated its request on the grounds that both the APC and the it’s flag bearer, Bola Tinubu were not qualified to take part in the 2023 presidential election as a result of the alleged forgery committed by Tinubu in 1999.
The suit, which was filed by My Upkai Ukairo, on behalf of the plaintiff claimed that Tinubu forged his University of Chicago certificate that he submitted in 1999 in aid of his qualification for the 1999 governorship election in Lagos state, which he eventually won.
The suit was dated and filed, June 21 and the 3 defendants are the Independent National Electoral Commission, the APC and Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu.
