David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
A United State based medical doctor and presidential aspirant of African Renaissance Party (ARP) in the 2011 presidential election, Dr Adah Obekpa has approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria, to delay the inauguration of president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on May 29.
Obekpa, who filed a motion at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, said there was need to delay the inauguration until the resolution of his standing matter before the Court.
Obekpa’s counsel, Barr Jonathan Akeme, in a press statement made available to THISDAY in Awka, said the case already has a precedence, citing the Amaechi vs Omehia case in Rivers State.
Speaking on behalf of Obekpa, Akeme said the circumstances of Obekpa’s alleged unlawful exclusion from the 2011 presidential election, which has been lingering in court, and now before the apex court, deserve priority over any other considerations.
He said: “Dr Obekpa’s Appeal No. SC/934/2019, is predicated on his claim of unlawful exclusion from the 2011 general election. He was unjustly barred from participating as the potential presidential candidate of the African Renaissance Party (ARP), a registered political party in Nigeria.
“The determination of the circumstances surrounding his unlawful exclusion by the court should take pre-eminence over any other consideration in the eyes of the law.
“The motion before the Supreme Court was filed on Monday, May 15, 2023, and there is an application to join President Muhammadu Buhari and the attorney general of the federation to the suit.
“The defendants in the original suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National Assembly, and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who was, at the time, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.”
