19th April, 2016
Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
The Code of Conduct Tribunal insisted on Monday that there was no need to adjourn proceedings to enable Senate President Bukola Saraki to preside over the Senate, urging senators following him to court to return to work.
The Tribunal said this in response to request by the lead defence counsel for adjournment of sittings to enable it study all the evidence that have been submitted in court so that it can do a good job of cross examining the prosecution witness.
A group of Senators always accompany Saraki to the venue of the trial and the Senate President had adjourned sittings to enable the lawmakers accompany him to the Tribunal in the past.
Kanu Agabi, Saraki’s lead counsel had also while asking for the adjournment said the business of lawmaking may suffer if the trial is held day to day as the Chairman of the Tribunal vowed to do at the commencement of trial for the day.
Agabi said Saraki’s presence will mean that the Senate will not be able to hold its usual plenary.
But he had barely finished speaking when Rotimi Jacobs, the lead prosecuting counsel sprang up as if stung by a bee. Jacobs described insinuations that the trial of Saraki will affect the business of the Senate as shameful.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria emphasised that the Senate or the Senate President is not on trial.
Rather, he said the person on trial is Saraki, a senator who just happened to be the Senate President. He added that nothing stops the Senate from sitting and doing their job, instead of congregating at the Tribunal.
Mr Danladi Umar, the Chairman of the Tribunal agreed with Jacobs. “Senate is not on trial. We are not trying the Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Senate is not on trial, they should go and do their work.
“The trial is not on the Senate of Nigeria and because of that the Tribunal will not be compelled to adjourn. Let them go and sit and do their job,” Mr Umar said.
He added that the administration of Criminal Justice Act which indicated that trial should be on a day to day basis during criminal trials was enacted by the National Assembly and the court is under obligation to enforce it.
Protests by Paul Usoro, a member of the Defence team that that there is need for time to be given to his team to study the documents that have been tendered and admitted as evidence by the prosecution fell on deaf ears of Mr. Umar.
Jacobs further rubbed it in for the senators when he said there is the need for the trial to be hastened up before the amendment of ACJA, an action which he said amounted to shifting the goal post after a goal has been scored.