A Judge of a Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Adeniyi Ademola has withdrawn from handling the legal action filed by five senators, challenging the election of Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Ike Ekwremadu as Deputy Senate President.
The case was withdrawn from Justice Ademola by the Chief Judge of the federal high court, Justice Ibrahim Ndahi Auta following a petition from the Deputy Senate President Senator Ike Ekweremadu against Justice Ademola.
The Chief Judge transferred the case to Justice Steven Evoh Chukwu also of a Federal High Court in Abuja. Ekweremadu had petitioned Justice Ademola Adeniyi claiming that he would not receive justice from him on the strength of his relationship with “power bloc” in Lagos.
In the petition to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Senator Ekweremadu claimed that Justice Ademola’s wife, Mrs. Tolulope was hurriedly appointed the Head of Service by the Lagos State Government as part of alleged measure to make Justice Ademola compromised in the case before him. The Deputy Senate President insisted that the external influence from Lagos will rob him of justice if Justice Ademola was allowed to make pronouncement in the matter and demanded that the CJN disqualifies Justice Ademola from going ahead with the case.
Although the case has been slated for judgment, the Chief Judge of the federal high court was said to have withdrawn the case from Justice Ademola in the interest of justice. At the final adoption of brief of argument early this year, Saraki had told the court that he did not violate any law or breach any rule in the election that produced him as Senate President in June last year contrary to the claims against him by some aggrieved Senators.
Saraki told the court that he was returned un-opposed in the election by majority of the Senators present on the Election Day in the upper chamber following his due nomination and endorsement for the office. In his preliminary objection to the legal action instituted against him and his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Saraki said that the election being challenged by five senators was free, fair and transparent by all standards and also conformed to the best practice of the world.
The Senate President who argued in the court through his counsel, Kayode Eleja (SAN) had asked Justice Ademola to dismiss the court action against him and five others for being abuse of court process, frivolous and unwarranted.He said the five senators who instituted the court action did not disclose what they lost by his election because none of them aspired or contested the senate presidency with him or any other officers and as such have no locus standi to come to court.
Five senators, Abu Ibrahim, Kabir Garba Marafa, Robert Ajayi Boroffice, Bareehu Olugbenga Ashafa and Suleiman Othman Hunkuyu had sued the senate president and his deputy claiming that the senate standing rule used in their election was amended without due process. In their suit filed by their lawyer Chief Mamman Mike Osuman (SAN), they asked the federal high court to set aside the election for being a nullity having allegedly violated the 2011 standing rule inherited in 2015.But Saraki told the court that the process of the election in the senate was a domestic affair of the senators because no part of the 1999 constitution or any other law was violated to warrant any litigation and that the court has no business to inquire into the internal affairs of the senate.“There are 109 senators in the senate and only five are challenging the election of the officers. The point is that, the interest of the five senators, if any at all, cannot over-ride or be larger than the interest of 104 other senators”.“If they are actually in the majority, as they claimed, they should go back to the floor of the senate and test their popularity rather than rushing to court on issues that are purely internal affairs of the distinguished senators” the counsel submitted.
Up-till now, they have not pointed out any infraction to the 1999 constitution or any other law in the conduct of the election, they have not told this court what they lost by the election of the Senate President and they have not told this court that they aspired to the office but was denied, they are in this court to waste the precious time of this court and I urge the court to show them the way out”.Saraki’s counsel faulted the vote of proceeding brought to the court to file the action adding that being public documents, the five senators ought to have brought original or certified true copies instead of photocopies that are not inadmissible in law.
Counsel to Ekweremadu, Chief Patrick Ikweto (SAN) and Chief Ikechukwu Ezechukwu (SAN) who stood for the National Assembly adopted the position of Saraki. However, counsel to the five senators Osuman claimed that the election violated the constitution of the country because the guideline was drawn partly from the constitution.
Source: [TribuneNG]
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