Saraki Loses Application Seeking CCT Judge’s Disqualification

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) sitting in Abuja on Thursday dismissed an application filed by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, seeking its chairman, Danladi Umar, to disqualify himself and withdraw from his trial.


Mr. Saraki is currently facing 13-count of alleged false and anticipatory declaration of assets, which he allegedly made between 2003 and 2011‎ when he served as the Governor of Kwara State.
Saraki had filed an application through his counsel, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, on Wednesday, seeking Umar to disqualify himself on the grounds of likelihood of bias in the handling of the case.
He also claimed that Umar would likely be subject to leverage by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the basis that the anti-graft agency brought Saraki before the CCT for prosecution while it (EFCC) was still investigating the tribunal chairman for bribery.
However, in the ruling of the two-man panel of the CCT on Thursday, Umar held that the application “lacked absolute merit‎”.

 Meanwhile, not fewer than 20 registered opposition political parties have suggested that the senate president must face his trial at the CCT for the survival of democracy and this administration’s avowed commitment to fight corruption.