Legal pressure is being mounted on President Buhari to make public his presidential ambition ahead of the 2019 general election.
One of the political parties in the country, the Democratic Youth Congress, DYC has instituted a legal action against President Muhammadu Buhari at the Federal High Court in Abuja over his delay in declaring his intention to run for the 2019 presidential election.
In the suit filed and dated 26th February, 2018, the plaintiffs are praying the court for the interpretation of Section 131 (a), (b), (c) and (d), and Sections 137 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
They are urging the court to determine whether, upon the provisions of the foregoing sections of the Constitution, Buhari would be deprived or subjected to any person or association from contesting the 2019 presidential election.
“Whether the 1st defendant (Buhari) after compliance with the 1999 constitutional provision, the Electoral Act and the guidelines to the extent of winning the 2015 presidential election as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, need other further qualification to contest the 2019 presidential election.
“Whether the 1st defendant (Buhari), despite the various call, including the applicants (plaintiffs)’ ultimatum dated 15th February 2018, will remain mute, without making a public declaration to contest the presidential election of 2019.”
The court is further urged to declare that Buhari is legally and constitutionally empowered to contest the 2019 presidential election into the office of the President of Nigeria pursuant to Sections 131 and 137 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
The plaintiffs are seeking an order of the court directing Buhari to declare his intention to vie for the presidential election as well as, an order directing him to answer the clarion call by the plaintiffs to contest the presidential election of 2019 to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In a 24-paragraph affidavit deposed to by a member of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Kassim Kassim and the National Chairman of DYC, the plaintiffs averred that they are a pressure group who have been campaigning and mobilizing Nigerians to support President Buhari’s re-election bid.
The plaintiffs moreover submitted that they had mobilized a million man match in Abuja on 15th February in Abuja to show solidarity to Buhari, with the clarion call on him to declare his intention to contest the presidential election in 2019.
DAILY POST recalls that Buhari had last week failed to give a definitive answer to APC governors, who had requested him to declare his intention for 2019 presidential election. He pleaded with them at a meeting to give him time to decide on the matter.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit filed by the Democratic Youth Congress, DYC.