The new date was set by Justice Obiora Egwuatu so that the parties to the lawsuit could finish filing their processes and exchange them as required by law before the adjourned date.
The Action Alliance had, on June 21, asked a Federal High Court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission from including the name of the APC in the ballot for the 2023 presidential election; predicting its request on the claim that both the APC and Tinubu are not qualified to participate in the 2023 presidential election on alleged forgery committed by Tinubu in 1999.
The suit has INEC, APC, and Tinubu as first, second, and third defendants respectively.
Tinubu, who is the major defendant in the alleged certificate forgery saga, has, however, engaged the services of Mr. Babatunde Ogala (SAN) to enable him to fortify his defense.
At the Thursday proceedings, counsel for AA which instituted the suit, Mr. Ukpai Ukairo, informed the court that he just received the Notice of Preliminary Objection from Tinubu asking the court not to entertain the case against him on various grounds.
The APC presidential standard bearer claimed that the foundation for the certificate forgery suit against him was rooted in the 1999 electoral forms he submitted to the then electoral body.
He also claimed that the report of the Lagos State House of Assembly which probed him on the alleged certificate forgery is the main foundation of the fresh suit and hence, had become statute-barred.
However, Ukairo assured the court that the allegations of Tinubu, particularly those relating to the position that they were time-barred, would be appropriately addressed in forthcoming proceedings.
He explained to the judge that for him to properly react to Tinubu’s oral claims, he needed to be formally served with them.
The APC was not represented in court despite evidence that the suit had been served on them, while INEC asked for more time to respond to the lawsuit.
As a result, the judge adjourned the case until October 12 so that the parties may put their houses in order for a proper hearing of the claimed certificate forgery lawsuit.
