The Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, both sitting in Abuja, yesterday, refused to shield the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki from being arraigned at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, on a 13-count criminal charge bordering on false declaration of assets preferred against him.
The Senate President had approached both courts to provide him shelter and save him from being docked. Also, in a ruling, yesterday, the three-man panel of Justices of the appellate court, equally refused to stop the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Solomon Arase, from executing the warrant of arrest that was issued against Saraki, by the CCT. Saraki Saraki had through his team of lawyers led by Mr. J. B. Daudu, SAN, filed an ex-parte motion for an injunction, shortly after the Justice Danladi Umar-led panel of the CCT, yesterday, insisted that he must be arrested and produced in court today for arraignment. He specifically begged the appellate court to not only set aside the warrant of arrest against him, but to also suspend the proceedings of the tribunal pending the hearing and determination of the substantive appeal he lodged against the Justice Umar-led panel. “We are humbly asking for stay of execution of the ruling and order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal for a bench warrant to be issued against the applicant. We also apply for stay of proceeding of the tribunal’s order pending hearing and determination of our motion on notice pending before this court”, Saraki’s lawyer, Mr. Adebayo Adelodun, SAN, pleaded with the appellate court. He stressed that the Senate President had raised 12 grounds of appeal against the decision of the tribunal, last Friday, saying the appeal was supported by a 16-paragraph affidavit and four exhibits. Besides, Saraki equally deposed to another 17-paragraph affidavit of urgency, wherein he urged the higher court to intervene and protect him from what he described as “a politically motivated witch-hunt”. However, instead of acceding to his prayers, the appellate court panel headed by Justice Moore Adumein directed the applicant to go and put all the parties to the matter on notice. “We have read all the processes before this court and considered submissions by counsel to the applicant. Even though pursuant to section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act, 2004, this court has general power to grant or make an interim order of injunction. “Ordinarily, this court does not grant ex-parte motions. We are, therefore, of the view that the respondents shall be put on notice. Consequently, the applicant’s motion ex-parte is refused and struck out”, the appellate court held. It directed Saraki to go and serve all the parties to the suit with the relevant processes to enable them appear on September 29, the day the case was, yesterday, adjourned to. Other members of the appeal court panel that gave the ruling were Justices Joseph Ekanem and Mustapha Mohammed