Judge James Omotosho of the Federal High Court has added the federal ministry of education to a lawsuit filed by a member of the Seventh-day Adventist seeking to halt the administration of exams and elections on Saturdays.
The court has also included the Council of Legal Education in the lawsuit, following a request from the plaintiff to involve these two agencies.
Ugochukwu Uchenwa, a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has initiated legal action to secure a court order to prohibit the administration of exams and elections on Saturdays.
During the latest hearing, the plaintiff’s counsel, Benjamin Amaefule, informed the court about a pending application for joinder.
Amaefule explained that the application, submitted on March 29 in accordance with the relevant legal authority, aims to join the Counsel for Legal Education and the Federal Ministry of Education to the lawsuit.
The lawyer submitted that he had attached relevant supporting evidence to demonstrate that the council conducts exams on Saturdays.
He also stated that the ministry of education should be included in the lawsuit, as it oversees all educational institutions, to prevent universities and other higher learning institutions in the country from conducting academic activities on non-academic days.
He requested six reliefs from the court, but Judge James Omotosho only granted four of them.
The respondents listed in the lawsuit are: the President, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the West African Examination Council (WAEC), and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Others include the National Examination Council (NECO), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NTBE), the Council of Legal Education, and the Ministry of Education.
Justice Omotosho set the next hearing of the case for October 23, 2023.