A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday dismissed a suit challenging the authenticity of the academic credentials of President Mohammadu Buhari.

A lawyer, Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaiwe in the suit,  had said Buhari was not qualified to vie for the office of the President on the account that he did not possess the minimum academic qualification to do so.

He also alleged that Buhari did not sit for the Cambridge West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1961 as he had earlier claimed.

At the resumption of proceedings, yesterday, counsel to the plaintiff, Mr. Chikodi Okeorji told the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola of his client’s decision to discontinue the case.

Okeorji said, “There is a notice of discontinuance dated 27th June, 2016. The application is brought pursuant to order 50 sub rule 2 of the paragraph 1 of the Federal High Court Rule. By the said notice, the plaintiff wishes to discontinue this suit.

In his response to the application to discontinue the suit, counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC), which was one of the defendants in the matter, Mr. Paul Ajiboye, did not oppose the withdrawal of the suit.

Consequently, Justice Ademola held, “According to order 50 Sub-rule 2 Paragraph 1 of the Federal High Court Rule, this suit is accordingly struck out.”

There had been controversies over the academic credentials of President Buhari prior to the 2015 general elections.

The president, who was represented by a retinue of top Nigerian lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), was alleged not to have included his West African School Certificate among the documents he tendered to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the build up to the election.

He was said to have written to INEC, stating that his Secondary School Certificate was with the Military Board.