Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu

Ayorinde Oluokun

Nigeria Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Wednesday in Abuja lost his bid to stop a Federal High Court from delivering judgment in the suit challenging his election and Dr. Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate over allegations that the Senate Standing Orders used to conduct the election through which they emerged was forged.

Five Senators who are all members of All Progressives Congress, APC, Abu Ibrahim, Kabir Marafa, Ajayi Boroffice, Olugbenga Ashafa and Suleiman Hunkuyi, are challenging the election of Dr. Bukola Saraki as the Senate President and Ekweremadu as his deputy when the eighth Senate was proclaimed on 9 June 2015. The five Senators had alleged that the Senate Standing Orders used to conduct the election was forged.

The plaintiffs in the suit are Saraki, Ekweremadui, the National Assembly, the Clerks of the National Assembly and the Clerk of the Senate.

The court, presided over by Justice Adeniyi Ademola had adopted the written addresses of the parties on 14, December, 2015 and reserved judgment in the matter.

But it was gathered that the Deputy Senate President had petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court after the adoption of the addresses asking that the case should be transferred to another judge.

The Deputy Senate President, a member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP had alleged in a petition to the Chief Judge that he had no confidence that he will get justice from the Judge who he alleged was close to a leader of APC in a move interpreted as an attempt to arrest the judgment of the court.

Ekweremadu also alleged in his petition filed on 17 December 2015, that his counsel had been subjected to various acts of intimidation and harassment by Justice Ademola since the suit was filed.

But Justice Ademola said on Wednesday that the Deputy Senate President cannot stop him from delivering the judgment at a date he is going to announce later except the Chief Judge of Federal High Court directed to the contrary.

“The court having adopted parties’ written addresses on December 14, 2015, the court will give its judgment on a date that will be communicated to parties through their counsel unless the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court directs otherwise,” Justice Ademola said while adjourning the case on Wednesday.