Atiku’s Ex-Aide Asks Court To Nullify Abiola, Others’ National Honours

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A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside the posthumous national honours conferred on the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, the late Chief M.K.O Abiola, and human rights activist, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi.

Ardo, a former Special Assistant on Research and Strategy to then Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, also asked the court to strip Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 presidential election, Babagana Kingibe, of the national honour conferred on him.

The investiture ceremony held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on June 12.


But Ardo filed his motion on June 14 seeking the nullification of the conferment of the honours as a follow-up to the main suit which he earlier filed on June 11 seeking to stop the investiture ceremony.

He wants the national honours nullified by the court on the grounds that they were conferred in defiance to his pending suit.

He had filed the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/609/2018, contending that “without the advice of the Council of State,” the President lacked the power to confer the national honours as planned.

He also asked the court to set aside the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to confer national awards on the planned honourees.

He joined the President, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), as the defendants.

The President had on June 12 proceeded to posthumously confer the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic on Abiola for the significant contribution of June 12, 1993 presidential election to Nigeria’s democracy.

Punch