BY Ebunoluwa Olafusi
Umar Ardo, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa, has asked a federal high court in Abuja to stop the conferment of posthumous national honour on MKO Abiola.
The investiture ceremony of the national honour took place on Tuesday.
Ardo is a former special assistant to ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar on research and strategy.
In the suit, Ardo contended that “without the advice of the council of state,” the president lacked the power to confer the national honour.
President Muhammadu Buhari, Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation, and Abubakar Malami, the attorney general of the federation, were listed as defendants in the suit.
He argued that the conferment of the national honour violates section 5(1)(b) and section 6(a)(iii) of part 1 to the third schedule of the Nigerian constitution.
He, therefore, urged the court to make “a declaration that the decision of the 1st defendant to award national honours to the late M.K.O. Abiola, Babagana Kingibe, late Gani Fawehinmi or anybody else for that matter without seeking and obtaining the advice of the council of state is contrary to sections 5(1)(b) of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 6(a)(iii) of part 1 to the third schedule thereto and is thus null and void”.
Ardo had also written to the SGF, through Doueyi Fiderikumo, his lawyer, calling for the postponement of the conferment ceremony in light of the legal action.
“In this development, you are advised to stay action on the conferment of the said award on the late Chief M.K.O Abiola, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, and the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, so as not to interfere with the subject of the said case,” the letter read.
“An advance copy of the said suit is hereby attached for the avoidance of doubt.”
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