It was a drama of sort today(Tuesday) at the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, when Justice Abdul Kafarati, the presiding judge instead of delivering judgment in the suit seeking to halt further trial of the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, announced his withdrawal from the case.
Saraki, had filed suit to enforce his fundamental rights to stop the Code of Conduct Tribunal(CCT) from going ahead with the charges of false declaration of assets brought against him by the federal government, when he served as governor of Kwara State.
Citing as reason for his withdrawal, Justice Kafarati said his integrity as far as the matter was concerned has been question, as such, he could no go ahead with the case, therefore disqualify himself from the case forthwith.
He said that after reading an online report in which accused him corruptly receiving the sum of N2bn, on the matter, as such, whatever the outcome on the matter, it would be interpreted as a product of external influence, lacking in fairness .
And that he was therefore removing himself from the matter, and that he was returning the case file for it to be reassigned to another judge.
“In the circumstance, I disqualify myself from this case. I will hereby send the case file to the chief judge for re-assignment to another judge.”
He had fixed today(Tuesday) for judgment on the matter.
It could be recalled that Saraki had filed the suit asking the court to not only stop the trial, but also disqualify chairman of CCT from the case, after he failed to get his appeal upheld at Supreme Court, in February
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