Lagos lawyer drags Buhari to court over ministerial appointment

A Lagos-based lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has
approached a Federal High Court in Lagos with a suit
seeking an order compelling President Muhammadu
Buhari to appoint ministers or cease to be president
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In the suit filed on Monday, the human rights lawyer
said the continued stay of action of President Buhari
on the appointment of his ministers was contrary to
the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Adegboruwa wants the court to order the president
to forthwith appoint qualified persons as ministers in
compliance with Section 147 and 14(3) of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999
as well as an order directing President Buhari to
appoint a qualified person into the office of the
Attorney-General of the Federation.
He is also seeking a court order retraining the
president from, “functioning or from continuing to
function or further functioning in office as or from
performing or continuing to perform the duties of
office of the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, without ministers duly appointed or the
Federal Executive Council duly constituted.”
Adegboruwa further accused Buhari of running the
affairs of Nigeria as lone ranger as well as in a
dictatorial manner.
The lawyer is praying the court to determine,
“Whether under and by virtue of section 147(1) and
(2) of the Constitution, the 1st Respondent (Buhari)
is not obliged and under a duty to appoint qualified
persons into offices to function as the ministers of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria, upon his swearing in
and oath of office since May 29, 2015.
“Whether the failure, omission or neglect by the 1st
respondent to appoint qualified persons into offices
to function as the ministers is not illegal and a
contravention of the constitution, such as to
disqualify the first respondent from continuing to
function in office as the president of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
“Whether the first respondent is entitled to run and
administer the affairs of the country as his personal
family empire or as a lone ranger and in a dictatorial
manner, without appointing qualified persons to run
the affairs of the country with.”