The Nation has reported that Saraki, through his lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, is raising the same issue of rights violation, which he canvassed in the fundamental rights enforcement suit that Justice Adamu Abdu Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja dismissed in a judgment on April 15.
Justice Kafarati, had while resolving this issue in his April 15 judgment on the suit by Saraki, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/905/2015, noted that the anxiety being expressed by Saraki was unfounded. And that the fear expressed by Saraki, to the effect that he will not get justice at the CCT, was “speculative, misplaced and has no place in law.”
Following his failed attempt to procure an order of the Federal High Court to disqualify Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Danladi Umar from his trial, Senate President Bukola Saraki has applied directly to the tribunal to have its Chairman disqualified.
He alleged that since the CCT Chairman was being investigated, he was likely to be manipulated by the Executive to give a judgment that favours the prosecution. He argued that the current composition of the tribunal would not guarantee its fairness and impartiality.
Just as in the suit before the federal High Court, Saraki is contending in the fresh application that he would likely not get fair trial because Umar was allegedly being investigated on allegation of corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the same agency which is conducting his (Saraki’s) prosecution before the CCT.
The trial resumes today at 10 am.