A civil society organization called Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI) has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to file a suit seeking to halt the inauguration of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on May 29. ASRADI alleges that Tinubu lied under oath about his possession of a Guinean Passport.
In their motion ex-parte, ASRADI requests the court’s intervention and urgent consideration of the case due to the upcoming swearing-in ceremony. The organization also seeks permission from the court to apply for an order of mandamus, compelling the Inspector General of Police to investigate and recommend Tinubu for perjury prosecution regarding his Guinean citizenship.
According to ASRADI, Tinubu failed to disclose his Guinean citizenship in the Form EC9 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during his qualification process for the presidential election held on February 25. ASRADI became aware of the alleged perjury on April 16, 2023, through an online publication, but the police did not act on their request for an investigation, leading ASRADI to seek court intervention.
ASRADI, represented by their lawyer Chukwunweike Okafor, is asking the court to declare that the Inspector General of Police is constitutionally and statutorily obligated to investigate Tinubu for perjury based on the provisions of the Constitution and the Nigeria Police Act. They also seek an order of mandamus directing the investigation and prosecution of Tinubu if found guilty of perjury. ASRADI further requests the court to compel the investigation and prosecution to be completed before May 29, 2023, the date of Tinubu’s inauguration as President of Nigeria.
The affidavit of urgency, deposed by ASRADI’s Executive Director Adeolu Oyinlola, states that the ex-parte motion should be heard and decided before Tinubu’s swearing-In on May 29, 2023.
