Disqualification: CCT chairman to give ruling on Saraki’s application Thursday; UK group kicks against calls for Senate President’s resignation

Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, will on Thursday rule on whether to disqualify himself from the trial of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, or not.
Umar announced this on Wednesday during the trial in Abuja.
Saraki had told the Chairman trying him on false declaration of assets that Umar lacked moral justification to preside over his trial. In fact, Umar was told to disqualify himself.
Saraki, at the resumed hearing, insisted that the CCT chairman is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the same agency that allegedly filed the criminal charges against him
In a motion on notice argued by Prince Rapheal Ajibola Oluyede, Saraki claimed that since the EFCC is largely responsible for the trial and also responsible for investigation in the N10 million bribery allegations against the chairman, there is no way Umar will be objective and impartial in the prosecution.
He claimed that since the sword of Damocles is dangling on the tribunal chairman’s head, be will be tempted to dance to the tune of the EFCC if only to rescue himself from the allegations against him.
Oluyede, whose submissions made the CCT chairman very comfortable on several occasions, asked Umar to honourably withdraw himself from further participating in Saraki’s trial in the interest of justice.
The counsel insisted that available facts have proved that EFCC was largely responsible for the investigation of Saraki and that it was the same EFCC that filed the charge and allegedly deployed its main lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), to prosecute the matter.
Oluyede stood his ground that in the course of the N10 million investigation, that the CCT chairman had been indicted in a report signed by former EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, and that a purported letter of EFCC clearing the chairman of the allegation after over one year indictment cannot stand in the face of the law because it did not emanate from the Attorney-General of the Federation being the appropriate authority to make such clearance
“Mr. Chairman, with all these facts placed before this Tribunal, the legitimacy of this proceeding is questionable because the chairman may not be impartial.
“There is something wrong with EFCC for it to have accused your lordship of having audience with the accused in his chambers and there are circumstantial evidence that your lordship collected bribe, only for them to come out now with a letter of clearance. That is suspicious, a cloudy relationship between the EFCC and the Tribunal chairman.
“We do not know what prompted EFCC to recount on the indictment of the CCT chairman when there are sufficient grounds for the EFCC to request for the call logs of the conversation of Umar and one Rashidi Taiwo who the N10 million bribe was demanded from.
However, in his objection to the motion, the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, prayed the Tribunal to dismiss the motion for lacking merit.
He accused the defendant of harassment, saying the bill before the Senate is designed to whittle down the powers of the CCT chairman.
“The absurdity in this application is that the defendant here is still performing his duty as Senate president and still preside over the Senate as at today. He has been charged to court whereas the investigation of the CCT chairman by the EFCC remains an investigation. He has not been charged to court or convicted.
“It is the defendant rather that has been charged to court. The issues raised in the application are matters of sentiment which has no place on law. Mr. Oluyede has never appeared for Saraki at this tribunal. As at the time he filed the motion, he is not a counsel on record as at the day and hour he filed his motion”.
Meanwhile, an organisation, The Nigerians in Diaspora Group for Rule of Law, has countered those asking for Saraki’s resignation, saying the issues are being deliberately confused to achieve the vindictive goals of some highly placed individuals.
Reacting to the several calls for Saraki’s resignation, including from another United Kingdom-based group, the Nigerians in Diaspora Group for Rule of Law said facts in the public domain clearly prove that the Senate President is the victim of persecution that is being made to look like prosecution for alleged corruption offences.
An electronic statement by Collins Achaluda on the behalf of the umbrella body of Nigerians in the UK, United States, Asia and other parts of Europe, urged Nigerians to demand prosecution of public officers that are being accused of corruption as opposed to their being persecuted.
“The supposed trial of Dr Bukola Saraki was already concluded and a guilty verdict passed in the media and court of public opinion before the Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting properly got underway. The conduct of the Tribunal Chairman, Mr Danladi Umar, has clearly betrayed the secret trial that has been held with a verdict already agreed to going by the way he regularly suffers outbursts of rage whenever Saraki’s defence counsel table facts before him.
“Those citing the example of the former Prime Minister of Iceland, Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, who resigned over the Panama Papers affair are being clever by half as they failed to also mention the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who has continued in office despite protests for him to step down after being linked to offshore assets in the Panama Papers leak.
“Our firm belief is that leaders that are committed to improving the life of citizens must not cave in because of pressure from blackmailers who package their selfish interests to look like something driven by popular demand”, the statement stressed.
It asserted that Saraki would not have been dragged before the CCT if he had not dared to challenge the establishment’s attempt to impose another candidate as the Senate President.
According to the statement, “It has also emerged that the Senate President’s opposition to a planned Muslim/Muslim ticket was the main thing that made him enemies with those in the corridors of powers who think he had cut short their own ambitions.
“Politics should not be played like this. It should not be about abusing state institutions to score personal scores and to persecute those who out of consideration for what is best for nation refused to support anti-people concepts.
“The concept remains innocent until proven in Nigeria but this has not been the situation in Senator Saraki’s case as his accusers sustain a campaign to boot him out of office for allegations he has not been convicted for. How can one be innocent when his accuser is both the judge and the witness?
“The Federal Government, who is persecuting him, has its attack dog, which is the EFCC as their ring leader while Danladi Umar, another jury who was caught red handed in a bribery allegation, is, at the same time, the jury to deliver a judgement to save his face. This is unfair”, it said.
The group warned that a critical national institution like the CCT may be irreparably damaged if it is continually deployed as an instrument of oppression as opposed to anti-corruption assets that it is meant to be.