Court Strikes Out Forgery Suit Against Saraki, Ekweremadu

Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja,
yesterday, struck out the suit that sought to remove the Senate
President, Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu from office on
the premise that the Senate Standing Orders 2015, that produced them,
was forged.

Justice Adeniyi terminated further hearing on the matter after the
plaintiffs who are five Senators Abu Ibrahim, Kabir Marafa, Ajayi
Boroffice, Olugbenga Ashafa and Suleiman Hunkuni, applied to withdraw
the suit.

At the resumed sitting on the case yesterday, the plaintiffs, through
their lawyer Chief Mamman Osuman (SAN), said their decision to
discontinue further hearing on the matter was in view of the fact that
the essence of the suit had been overtaken by events.

They noted that the Senate leadership under Saraki and Ekweremadu,
despite the pendency of the suit, had carried out several legislative
actions, among which they said included the constitution of different
committees for the 8th Senate.

Following their application, Justice Adeniyi, in a short ruling
yesterday, struck out the suit.

Meanwhile, none of the defendants sent a legal representation before
the court yesterday.

Specifically, the plaintiffs had prayed the court to stop both Saraki
and Ekweremadu from further exercising the powers of the Senate
President and Deputy Senate President, respectively.
In their suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/651/2015, the plaintiffs, all members
of All Progressives Congress, APC, also urged the court to stop the
two defendants from relying on the provisions of the alleged forged
Senate Standing Orders 2015, to conduct the affairs of the Senate.

Equally joined as defendants in the suit were the Clerk of the
National Assembly, the Senate itself and the National Assembly.

The plaintiffs were all members of the 'Unity Forum' in the Senate
that supported Ahmed Lawan to emerge as the Senate President in the
election that was won by Saraki on June 9.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole, who earlier presided over the matter as a
vacation judge, had in a ruling he delivered on July 28, declined to
issue an interim order of injunction against Saraki and Ekweremadu.

-Vanguard