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Senators head to court over Saraki
The crisis in the upper chamber of the federal legislative arm of government, the Senate over the emergence of Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, as president and deputy president respectively may not ending anytime soon, as members of the Senate Unity Forum do not seem ready to let the issue be.
The Unity Forum led by Senator Ahmed Lawan, who was the choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the post of Senate President has gone to court to seek the annulment of the election of Saraki and Ekweremadu.
It was learnt that the Forum instituted the case at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking, among other prayers, annulment of the Tuesday, June 9 election of Saraki and Ekweremadu on the premise that the Senate Standing Orders used on that day was “a forgery.”
In the build-up to the case in court, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, representing Kaduna North senatorial district, had petitioned the Police on the alleged forgery. Consequently, Ekweremadu, key staff of the Committee on Rules and Business and the head of the National Assembly’s Directorate of Legal Services, were all questioned on their alleged roles in the matter.
Read also: APC govs want Saraki, Dogara whipped into line
The case however suffered a slight hiccup on Wednesday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, where the case was filed. But on Thursday, July 16, the details were finally perfected. It was gathered that the Forum is insisting before the court that a cursory reading of the Votes and Proceedings of the entire Seventh Senate and the Hansards did not reflect an amendment of the Senate Standing Orders.
A source who is close to the Unity Forum said that: “The leadership of the Saraki group knows this. It’s now a moral burden on them because those in charge of the rules know what they did. They should come out and tell Nigerians where, when and who sponsored the rules change.”
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