Hearing On Appeal May Delay Jonathan From Declaring

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has fixed October 29 for hearing on motion for Dr. Umar Ardo to be joined in an appeal filed by Mr. Cyriacus Njoku, a journalist, who is challenging the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest in next year’s presidential election.

The court had on Monday, adjourned a motion filed by Dr. Umar Ardo, a presidential aspirant under the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who seeking to be joined in the appeal as an interested party.

With the case now in court, some analysts are of the opinion that no one can do or say anything regarding the presidential nomination of the PDP until the matter before the court was determined.

Hearing on the matter was stalled on Monday due to a mix up in the file numbers of Njoku’s appeal and that of Ardo.

Ardo had applied to be joined in the appeal against the judgement of Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi, which declared that President Goodluck Jonathan can contest the 2015 election.

Ardo, through his counsel, Dr. Amuda Kannike (SAN), in a motion on notice begged the court to join him as an interested party in the suit by Njoku. It was this motion that has been slated for hearing.

Justice Oniyangi who was a judge of the High Court of the FCT, (now elevated to the Appeal Court) dismissed the case brought by Njoku and declared that President Jonathan is eligible to contest next year’s presidential election.

The appeal now became more paramount as President Jonathan has been adopted by the PDP, not minding whether he was eligible to contest the 2015 election or not.

The appellants claimed that they have been denied their rights to contest as aspirants under the ruling PDP.

President Jonathan, according to the appellants, if he contest and wins the 2015 election, would serve for nine years in officeby the time that his tenure expires in 2019.

Source-Dailytrust