A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday adjourned till November 11, 2015 to hear a suit seeking to compel President Muhammadu Buhari to fix all the petroleum refineries in the country.
The plaintiff, Kabir Akingbolu, also wants the court to order the President to ensure adequate production and availability of Premium Motor Spirit at a regulated price across the country.
The trial judge, Justice John Tsoho, adjourned the case on Monday, following the non-appearance of the plaintiff in court.
The judge said though the plaintiff had not followed up the case, the issues he raised in the suit were still relevant.
Akingbolu, a lawyer, claimed in his suit filed in June that Buhari failed to address the problem of fuel scarcity which resulted in long queues and selling of the products at varying and exorbitant prices in petrol stations across the country.
He urged the court to determine whether in view of his campaign promises and Section 130(1)(2) of the Constitution, Buhari had not breached his oath of office and his constitutional obligation.
Akingbolu claimed that the failure of Buhari to ensure sufficient supply of petroleum products to Nigerians was capable of causing serious discomfort which might lead to a breach of societal peace.
In the affidavit filed in support of his suit, Akingbolu said he recalled how the country had started experiencing fuel scarcity from around January 20, 2015, in the pre-general election period.
According to him, the masses were however delighted that after Buhari won the election the problem of fuel scarcity would come to an end.
But Akingbolu claimed that after Buhari was sworn in on May 29, the fuel scarcity crisis took even a worse turn.
“The price of PMS now is no longer at N87 per litre at most petrol stations but N110 and above in the country, creating untold hardship on the citizenry as well as the plaintiff who voted for the first defendant (Buhari).
“I know as a fact that very few petrol stations still sell at N87 per litre and it is like going to a battlefield before the citizens can get petroleum products.
“I know as a fact that the refineries have deliberately been ignored and left unfixed by the past administrations in Nigeria for their selfish interest, of which the current President might follow if not properly cautioned; hence, the commencement of this suit,” Akingbolu said.
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