But the Senate President had also immediately filed an appeal asking the Court of Appeal to set aside the order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Saraki asserted in the appeal that the tribunal erred in law and also acted without jurisdiction‎ by assuming jurisdiction over the criminal trial of the appellant at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for a charge which is being challenged at the Federal High Court. He further stated that as at the time the tribunal overruled the appellant’s application to discharge the order for bench warrant for his arrest by the respondent, there was an order of the Federal High Court which was served on the tribunal.

The Senate President also submitted that it was trite that when an accused files an application challenging the jurisdiction of a court/tribunal to adjudicate on a charge brought before it, the accused need not be in court. Also, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu on his behalf on Friday, the Senate President said he refused to appear before the tribunal because of the existing order issued by a Federal High Court on Thursday, directing that the case against him be halted.

The Senate President also accused the tribunal of pursuing a political agenda, and said he was certain the court would give him justice. “It is also a surprise to us that despite the application by the lead counsel to the Senate President that he will produce Dr. Saraki on Monday and the personality of the person involved as the Number three man in the country, the Tribunal insisted on issuing a warrant of arrest as if its intention is simply to embarrass Dr. Saraki. We are not unmindful of the fact that the Tribunal is acting under political influence and external pressure,” the Senate President said in the statement.

But this magazine gathered that Saraki kept away from the court out of fears that he may be ordered remanded in custody after his arraignment.

Even as Nigerians wait for the continuation of the drama of his latest entanglement with the law, for Saraki, it has virtually been one week, one trouble since he outfoxed his party to emerge as the Senate President on 9 June.

On Thursday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission  declared Saraki’s business associate, Kennedy Izuagbe, wanted for alleged N3.6 billion  money laundering offence. Izuagbe, is the managing director of Carlisle Properties and Investment Limited, a company used to buy some of the property listed in the charges against the Senate President by the CCB.

Izuagbe was alleged to have conspired with others to launder the said amount while he was the Managing Director of the defunct Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, where Saraki was a director before he became the Governor of Kwara State.

Kennedy Izuagbe

“Izuagbe, 45, who is being investigated in a case of conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of over N3.6 billion, has gone into hiding and all efforts to reach him have proved abortive. He is linked to the several shady deals and gross financial misconducts that took place in the bank, in which several millions of Naira were granted as loan without due diligence,” EFCC said in the statement.

The hunt for Izuagbe is a continuation of the anti graft agency’s investigations of corrupt dealings that led to the collapse of the bank majorly owned by Olusola, the father of the Senate President in 2005.

EFCC had in 2013 grilled Saraki who was chairman of the Bank as well as Robert Mbonu, the former managing director of the Bank over alleged fraudulent dealings. Reports had indicated that Mbonu was quizzed over allegations NGS Securities Limited, one of the companies linked to Saraki, used funds from SGBN to purchase shares at the Southern Sun Hotels, formerly Ikoyi Hotels. The shares, according to the reports were later appropriated by Toyin, the wife of the Senate President.