Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Wahab Shittu has said that no court can stop the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of Nigeria on May 29. Wahab Shittu (SAN) had stated this in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos against the background of on-going litigations and speculation on whether the upcoming inauguration of the president- elect will hold.
Shittu contended that the ceremony will hold as scheduled, without fail. “It will hold because it is a legal prescription arising from the natural implications of the provisions of constitution and the Electoral Act. Inaugurating the president – elect is necessarily a rule of law prescription and no court of law will make pronouncements to the contrary”, he said.
The learned silk gave five reasons why no court will stop the event. He said “there is no precedence for this in any constitutional or statutory provisions. Swearing – in and inaugurating the president – elect as president on May 29th is a constitutional and statutory imperative – which is an act which follows the event.
According to him, “INEC has the statutory duty to organise, manage all the approved elections including the presidential election, and declare results and the winner. “Following the above, INEC has declared Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the Election and issued to him a certificate of return as legally prescribed.”
He said “those aggrieved have challenged the declaration in the presidential election petition Tribunal and until a verdict is entered one way or another, the process of inaugurating the president -elect as president cannot be legally truncated or put on hold.”
Shittu said most importantly, “no court of law will take any steps to foist a faith accompli on the presidential election petition Tribunal currently adjudicating over the presidential election petitions. The inauguration of the president – elect as scheduled is a done deal,” he contended.
(Nation)
