Atiku's former aide Umar Ardo asks court to set aside conferment of awards on Abiola and Gani

ONE of  ex-vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar's former aides Dr Umar Ardo has dragged the federal government to court asking that the posthumous national honours conferred on Chief MKO Abiola and human rights activist Chief Gani Fawehinmi be set aside.

Earlier this month, President Muhammadu Buhari conferred Nigeria's national honour the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic on both men and declared that June 12 will henceforth be celebrated as Democracy Day. Effectively acknowledging that Chief Abiola won the June 12 1993 presidential elections, the government also conferred an award on Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, Chief Abiola's running mate.

Contesting the awards though, Dr Ardo, a leading member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State 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.

Dr Ardo, a former special assistant on research and strategy to Alhaji Abubakar, also asked the court to strip Alhaji Kingibe, of the national honour conferred on him. He had filed the suit contending that without the advice of the Council of State, the president lacked the power to confer the national honours as planned.