Code of Conduct Tribunal Chairman Danladi Umar has pulled the brakes on Senate President Bukola Saraki’s motion querying his integrity and urging him to disqualify himself from presiding over his trial.
Justice Umar described the motion, filed for Saraki by a lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, as “rubbish, unmeritorious and a distraction”. He said Oluyede is a busy-body, who was a stranger to the proceedings.
Saraki filed the motion on Wednesday, questioning Justice Umar’s integrity and demanding his withdrawal from his (Saraki’s) trial for alleged false assets declaration.
He claimed that Justice Umar was being investigated by the EFCC and that he was likely to be manipulated by the EFCC to arrive at a decision favourable to the prosecution.
Lead prosecution lawyer Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), interjected and said the application had not received the approval of the lead defence lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), who was absent at the proceedings.
Jacobs noted that Oluyede was not yet a lawyer in the case, because as at when he (Oluyede) filed the motion, he was yet to be recognised as a member of the defence team.
Jacobs insisted on responding to the motion only if Agabi acknowledged its existence.
At that point, Justice Umar passed a copy of a letter from the EFCC, absolving him of all issues relating to the bribery allegation on which Oluyede’s motion was predicated.
Justice Umar noted that Oluyede filed similar application before the Federal High Court, Abuja in a fundamental rights suit, which Justice Adamu Abdu Kafarati dismissed last Friday as being unmeritorious and constituting an abuse of the court’s process.
“As far as this tribunal is concerned, this application (motion) has not been filed. It is rubbish and it is hereby thrown out,” Justice Umar declared.
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