Court suspends judgement on suit to sack Saraki, Dogara, others

Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara

Federal High Court in Abuja has suspended delivery of judgement in a suit seeking the sack of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and 55 other lawmakers.

The suit was filed by an advocacy group, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, (LEDAP).

The group prayed the court to declare their seats vacant as a result of defection to other political parties before expiration of their tenure.

Saraki and Yakubu Dogara headlined the list of lawmakers who switched party allegiance in the build-up to 2019 general elections.

LEDAP also sought a declaration that the lawmakers were no longer entitled to receive any remuneration due to a federal lawmaker and that any of such remunerations after their date of defection be refunded to the Federal Government.

Only Saraki was represented in court once by a counsel while the other defendants never sent representation.

The court, however, opted to continue to hear the matter satisified that all parties had been served.

The judge had fixed Thursday for judgement but when the matter was called, counsel to Saraki and the other lawmakers, Mahmud Magaji, urged the court to tarry in delivering judgement to hear from the defence team in order to deliver a better-informed judgement.

A fresh date will now be set for judgement after defendants have been heard. The matter has then adjourned until Friday.

Some of the other lawmakers involved as defendants are Senators Godswill Akpabio, Dino Melaye, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Lanre Tejuosho, Shaba Lafiaji, Barnabas Gemade, Abdulaziz Nyako among others.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation are also defendants in the matter.