Nigerian govt, Dep Senate president Ekweremadu battle in court over senator’s 22 ‘undeclared’ houses

Counsel to the Federal Government and that of the deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, on Tuesday engaged in a court battle over a motion seeking an order for the interim forfeiture of the senator’s 22 houses allegedly not declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as part of his assets.

The Okoi Obono-Obla-led Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIPRPP) is currently investigating the 22 houses supposedly located in Nigeria and abroad.

The panel had alleged that Ekweremadu breached the code of conduct for public officers rule by failing to declare the houses to the CCB as part of his assets and had on March 21, 2018 filed on behalf of the Federal Government, an ex parte motion seeking an interim forfeiture of the 22 houses pending the conclusion of the investigation of the senator.

In his response, Ekweremadu had through his lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), on March 26, 2018 filed a motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the Federal Government’s motion and prayed for an order declaring the SPIPRPP which initiated it as unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.

But as the matter was mentioned before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the Federal Government urged the court not to hear Ekweremadu’s suit in respect of the ex parte motion seeking an order for the interim forfeiture of his 22 houses.

The Federal Government argued that since the motion filed by the Federal Government was “ex parte” and not “on notice” that Ekweremadu was not entitled to respond to it as of right.

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Mr. Bala Dakum, who represented Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), the Federal Government’s lead counsel, told the court that he had filed an objection to Ekweremadu’s motion seeking leave to be heard.

On the other hand, counsel to Ekweremadu, Awomolo, argued that their motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction should be heard and determined ahead of other applications pending before the court, but Dakum insisted that the court ought to first resolve whether or not to grant leave to be heard to the senator’s suit.

 

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