Posted on: 05:56 Tue, 22 Mar 2016



A justice of the federal high court,
Abuja, has withdrawn from a
fundamental rights suit filed by Senate
President to quash the charges of false
declaration of assets brought against
him by the federal government.

At the federal high court sitting in
the nation’s capital, Abuja today,
Justice Abdul Kafarati, has
officially withdrawn from a
fundamental rights suit filed by
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki
to quash the charges of false
declaration of assets brought
against him by federal government
at the Code of Conduct Tribunal
(CCT).

According to the judge, his integrity
had been called into question in the
matter, hence he would disqualify
himself from it.

Having read a report of an online
medium accusing him of corruption
to the tune N2 billion, he said that
if he ruled against or for Saraki, his
decision would be interpreted
differently.

“It is only in this country that
people can wake up and start
calling people names. 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 said.



It can be recalled that few weeks
ago, after the judgment of the
supreme court dismissing Saraki’s
appeal to stop his trial, his lawyer,
Ajibola Oloyede filed the lawsuit
asking the federal high court to
stop his trial and to disqualify the
chairman of the CCT, who is
presiding over the trial.

The senate president couched his
prayers in the violation of his
rights to fair hearing by the Code
of Conduct Bureau (CCB), which he
said did not invite him for
explanation before it filed charges
against him at the CCT.

Court judge, Kafarati had fixed
today for judgment on the case, but
instead of delivering the judgment,
he announced his withdrawal from
the case.