A lawyer, Mr Francis Obalim, and a political party, Action Peoples Party, on Monday, filed separate suits asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the sacking of the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, on the grounds of her alleged failure to possess a valid discharge certificate issued by the National Youth Service Corps.
The lawyer, the plaintiff in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/712/2018, applied for an order quashing and setting aside Mrs Adeosun’s appointment as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He argued that her appointment should be quashed in the light of the revelation by an online medium, Premium Times, alleging that Adeosun forged NYSC exemption certificate. Obalim argued that Adeosun cirumvented the mandatory conditions in sections 12, 13 and 14 of the NYSC Act, an integral part of the 1999 Constitution.
He maintained that Adeosun, who was listed as the 1st defendant, was not qualified to be employed by the Federal Government of Nigeria either as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or in any other capacity whatsoever, without first presenting a valid discharge certificate issued by the NYSC.
The plaintiff, through his counsel, Mr Johnmary Jideobi, sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining Federal Government from further according a ministerial status to Adeosun until she presented a valid certificate of discharge regularly issued by the NYSC.
Adeosun, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami; the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki; and the Clerk of the Senate, are the respondents to the suit.
On its part, the Action Peoples Party sued Adeosun, President Muhammadu Buhari, the AGF and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, as defendants in its suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/714/2018.
Apart from praying for the removal of the minister, APP prayed for an order directing her to refund the salaries she had received since 2015 when she was appointed as a minister and another order compelling the Federal Government to prosecute her.
The party, through its lawyer, Mr. Kingdom Okere, asked the court to, among others, declare that Adeosun “is not qualified to be appointed a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or into any other public office, having not participated in the compulsory one-year National Youth Service scheme, in view of the combined provisions of sections 11,12, 13 and 17 of the National Youth Service Act.”
It also prayed the court to declare that Adeosun, “is not a fit and proper person to continue to occupy the office she presently occupies having presented a fake NYSC exemption certificate and made a false, untrue and misleading statement/representation material to the National Youth Service Corps; and having breached her oath of office to uphold and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
It, therefore, prayed for a consequential order directing President Buhari “who claims that his administration is fighting corruption to immediately sack or suspend Mrs Kemi Adeosun as the Minister of Finance pending investigation and her prosecution for forgery and perjury.”
The party also prayed for an order compelling “the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Commission, to immediately arrest and investigate the allegation of fake National Youth Service Corps exemption certificate against Mrs Kemi Adeosun; and to immediately prefer a criminal charge against Mrs Kemi Adeosun for the offence of perjury, forgery, false, misleading and untrue information in relation to her fake National Youth Service certificate of exemption.”
