19th August, 2019
The Federal High Court Abuja, on Monday, refused to grant a request stopping President Muhammadu Buhari from inaugurating the 43 ministerial nominees over the exclusion of an FCT indigene from the cabinet list.
The applicant, Mr Musa Baba-panya, who was also the counsel in the case, had, on Thursday, approached the court with an exparte motion, asking the court to stop the president from going ahead on the inauguration.
In suit number: number: FHC/ABJ/CS/878/19, Baba-panya, who is also an indigene of Karu in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said the president’s action was contrary to an Appeal Court’s judgment delivered on March 15, 2018.
President Buhari is the 1st defendant while the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) is the 2nd defendant in the case.
The president would be inaugurating on August 21 at the Federal Executive Council chambers, the 43 ministers-designate earlier confirmed by the Senate.
Baba-panya, who argued that the Appeal Court’s ruling was a compelling order, said it was served on the president through the AGF.
The lawyer, in an originating summon dated Aug. 7 and filed Aug. 8, said that ”the 43 confirmed ministerial appointees now awaiting swearing-in or inauguration as the Federal Executive Council is incomplete, illegal, unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.”
Justice Taiwo Taiwo, however, noted that the suit was coming rather too late and therefore there might be no reason to stop the inauguration.
The judge, who asked the counsel to ensure that President Buhari is personally served with the motion notice.