Court joins education ministry in suit seeking to stop examinations on Saturdays

The Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday, joined the Federal Ministry of Education in a suit filed by a Seventh-day Adventist member seeking to stop the conduct of examinations and elections on Saturdays.

The court also joined the Council of Legal Education to the suit following an application by the plaintiff that the two agencies be joined to the suit.z

Supreme News reports that a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Mr Ugochukwu Uchenwa, instituted a legal action seeking an order of court to stop the conduct of examinations and elections on Saturdays.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Tuesday, counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Benjamin Amaefule told the court that he had an application for joinder pending in court.

Amaefule told the court that the application which was filed on March 29 and brought pursuant to the relevant authority was seeking the joinder of Counsel for Legal Education and the Federal Ministry of Education to the suit.

The lawyer told the court that he had attached relevant exhibits to the application to show that the council was conducting examination on Saturdays.

He said that the ministry of education was being joined to the suit since all education institutions were under it to stop universities and other institutions of higher learning in the country from conducting academic activities on non academic days.

He sought six reliefs from the court but the judge, Justice James Omotosho granted only four of the reliefs.

The reliefs granted include: “An order of the court joining the Council of Legal Education and the Federal Ministry of Education to the suit.

“An order of court allowing the applicant to amend the system in support of the originating application in the suit.

“An order granting leave to the application to amend the originating motion to reflect the parties joined.

There was no opposition to the application for joinder from the respondents.

The respondents listed in the suit 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 are the National Examination Council, (NECO), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board, Council of Legal Education and the Ministry of Education.

Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter until Oct. 23 for hearing.

Supreme News reports that a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Mr Ugochukwu Uchenwa, instituted a legal action seeking an order of court to stop the conduct of examinations and elections on Saturdays.

Uchenwa argued that conducting elections and examinations on Saturdays violated his fundamental right to freedom of worship and education and he prayed the court to declare it unconstitutional.

In the alternative, the plaintiff asked the court to order the defendants to allow him and other members of his church to vote or take examinations on any other day of the week including Sundays.

The plaintiff also asked the court for an order restraining INEC from further violating the rights of members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church by holding elections on Saturdays.

“In the alternative order, INEC to mark out a different day for the members of the church to participate in their own election if the INEC cannot schedule and hold the elections on a day other than on Saturdays.