The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, refused to grant a request stopping  President Muhammadu Buhari from inaugurating the 43 ministerial nominees over the exclusion of an FCT indigene from the list.

The applicant, Mr. Musa Baba-Panya, who was also the counsel in the case, had, on Thursday, approached the court with an ex parte motion, asking the court to stop the President from going ahead with the inauguration.

In suit FHC/ABJ/CS/878/19, Baba-Panya, who is also an indigene of Karu in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, said the President’s action was contrary to an Appeal Court’s judgement on March 15, 2018.

Buhari was the first defendant, while the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) was the second defendant in the case.

The President would be inaugurating the 43 ministers-designate, earlier confirmed by the Senate, on August 21 at the Federal Executive Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

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Baba-Panya, who argued that the Appeal Court’s ruling was a compelling order, said it was served on the President through the AGF.

The lawyer, in an originating summon dated August 7 and filed August 8, said, “The 43 confirmed ministerial appointees now awaiting swearing in or inauguration as the Federal Executive Council is incomplete, illegal, unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.”

Justice Taiwo Taiwo, however, noted that the suit was coming rather too late and, therefore, there might be no reason to stop the inauguration.

The judge also asked the lawyer to ensure that President Buhari was personally served with the motion notice.