Nigerian govt renews bid to remove Saraki as AGF asks court to hands off suit

A Federal High Court in Abuja has been urged to halt procedure in a suit before it seeking to stop the alleged move by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to remove Dr. Bukola Saraki as Senate president.

The prayer was made by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN).

While challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit, he described the plaintiffs as “mischief makers,” saying that they failed to establish any acceptable locus standi to institute the action.

senators, who were among those that recently defected from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rafiu Adebayo, and Isa Misau, are the plaintiffs.

But the AGF argued that the initiators of the suit were unable to show how Saraki’s removal would affect their personal rights, accusing them crying more than the bereaved.

The AGF made this known in a preliminary objection he filed opposing the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/843/2018.
Senators Rafi, and Misau, who represent Kwara South and Bauchi Central respectively, in the suit are urging the court to abort any attempt to forcibly and illegally re-open the Senate chamber with a view to removing Saraki from his position.

They accused some chieftains of the APC, led by its national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and the AGF, of having perfected plots to use security agencies to force Saraki to vacate his position as Senate president, and had therefore applied for an order of interlocutory injunction stopping any impeachment proceeding against Saraki, pending the determination of legal issues they posed before the court.

in his objection dated August 27, the AGF called on the court not to entertain the suit arguing that it lacked merit.
Meanwhile, hearing on both suits had been adjourned till September 6 and 13, even as the court ordered substituted service of all the processes on all the defendants in the matter.

READ ALSO: Kwara does not have enough money for me to steal— Saraki

Defendants cited in both cases are the Senate, the Senate President, Dr. Saraki, the Deputy Senate President, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Ahmed Lawal (Senate Leader), Senator Bala Ibn Nallah (Deputy Senate Leader), Senator Emma Buacha (Deputy Minority Leader), Clerk of the Senate and Deputy Clerk of the Senate.

Also are the AGF, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, and the Department of State Service, DSS.
The presiding judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, who did not issue an interim order stopping Saraki’s removal as prayed by counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN), however cautioned all parties in the case to shun any action capable of destroying the subject matter of the suit before the court.

 

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