Lawmakers Abandon Sitting As 40 Senators Accompany Saraki To Forgery Trial




Senators of the Federal republic of Nigeria, today, abandoned their sitting – one of the three days the National Assembly has for plenary in a week – in other to attend the trial of their presiding officers.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, are facing trial for allegedly forging Senate Rules that brought them to power in a suit filed by the Federal Government in June before a High Court in Abuja.

The trial resumed today, Wednesday, and like previous days of Saraki’s trial at Code of Conduct Tribunal for charges bordering on false assets declaration, the Senate did not open for plenary.

Not all the Senators followed Messrs. Saraki and Ekweremadu to court today, but about 40 of them did.

Since the National Assembly was inaugurated in June 9 last year, the Senate has sat for 112 days, giving an 11-day difference between the upper legislative arm and the House of Representatives which has sat for 123 days, including Wednesday’s session.



In the first year, June 9, 2015 – June 9 , 2016, the Senate and the House of Representatives sat for 96 and 104 times respectively, falling far short of 181 days required by the constitution.

Meanwhile, the Saraki’s trial was stalled because the prosecution counsel, Aliyu Umar, said he had not prepared his response to a fresh motion by the defendants challenging the jurisdiction of the court.

Mr. Umar is prosecuting the case on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federal, Abubakar Malami.

The matter was adjourned in July till September 28 following the annual vacation of the judiciary.