A lawyer has described the attempt to prosecute the Nigerian Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) as political.
The National Coordinator, Lawyers of Conscience, Benedict Ezeagu, made the observation on Monday while giving his opinion on Sunrise Daily.
“The attempt to prosecute or arraign Senator Saraki is a political one rather than a judicial prosecution. Not actually based on law when you look deep into the entire processes that were followed to bring him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal,” he said.
Mr Ezeagu noted that the court that is currently trying to prosecute the Senate President lacked the credibility and the moral basis to go ahead with the prosecution.
“The chairman of that Tribunal (Mr Danladi Umar) has a stinking corruption allegation hanging on his neck and he has been indicted by one of the institutions of the state,” he said, referring to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The legal practitioner explained that the chairman of the Tribunal needed to clear the purported allegation before he would have the moral basis to sit on judgement against anybody.
Ezeagu also confirmed that Umar had been investigated and found wanting by the EFCC, insisting that the “EFCC was directed by the former Attorney General to commence his prosecution (and) I have the documents to that effect”.
Senator Saraki is facing charges of false declaration of assets while serving as Kwara State Governor before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
In the last ruling, the Chairman of the Tribunal, Mr Danladi Umar, fixed March 24 to rule on whether or not to quash the charge brought against the Senate President by the Federal Government.
