Sophia Michaels
Bature AbdulAziz, the National President of the Patriotic Elders Forum of Nigeria, has said that despite electoral cases in court, the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu can still be sworn in on May 29.
AbdulAziz, who made this known while addressing newsmen in Kano on Saturday said the law permitted him and any governor-elect to proceed with the ceremony.
The elder statesman also frowned at the renewed calls for the suspension of the swearing-in of the President-elect, adding that the move could destabilise the nation.
He said, “Why are you calling for the suspension of swearing-in? What you are asking for, has it any position in the law or in the Nigeria history? So, why are some people killing themselves in the name of trying to stop the swearing-in, this is baseless, they are speaking out of ignorance.”
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, had approached the court to challenge the outcome of the February 25 presidential elections.
It was reported that a suit demanding an order to discontinue the swearing-in of Tinubu was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday.
Instituted by five residents of the Federal Capital Territory, the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/578/2023, urged the court to stop the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, any other musicial officer and/or any other authority or person from swearing in any candidate in the February 25 presidential election as President or Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It added that this should remain until it is judicially determined with finality or in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution that such candidate has fulfilled the requirement of Section 134(2) (b) of the Constitution.
The five applicants, Anyaegbunam Okoye, David Adzer, Jeffery Ucheh, Osang Paul and Chibuike Nwachukwu identified themselves as registered voters of the FCT.
