CCT Trial: Saraki Loses Bid To Suspend Trial, Disqualify Danladi Umar

The application filed by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki to stop the Code of Conduct Tribunal from further hearing on the 16-count charge instituted against him by the Federal Government has been dismissed.

Saraki also lost the bid to disqualify the chairman of the CCT, Danladi Umar from presiding over the case.

In a ruling on Wednesday, the two-man panel tribunal dismissed the fresh application Saraki filed through his team of lawyers led by a former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, as an abuse of judicial process.

Saraki Justice Umar who read the ruling, noted that Saraki had earlier filed a similar application which was dismissed on April 28. Specifically, Saraki had in his fresh application, urged Justice Umar to hands-off his trial, accusing him of bias.

The lawmaker’s counsel, Kanu Agabi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, told the tribunal that his client was afraid of “final consequence” on the matter if Mr. Umar carried on with the trial.

‎In his ruling, however, Mr. Umar said the tribunal was the same as its chairman, hence he could not excuse himself from the matter.

“The application to recuse myself has not been contemplated in the constitution. In the absence of a chairman, this trial cannot go on; therefore I cannot recuse myself.

“The chairman is the tribunal, without the chairman there is no tribunal.

“The application of the applicant is founded on mere conjecture. The application of the applicant is not well-founded and is hereby dismissed.”

It is the second time the tribunal is dismissing an application from Mr. Saraki for the chairman to withdraw from the matter.