FALSE ASSETS DECLARATION: CACOL HAILS COURTS RULING ON CCT’S JURISDICTION

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has hailed the ruling of the Appeal Court in Abuja over the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal to try the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki over fraudulent assets declaration. The panel of the appeal court led by Justice Abdul Aboki-affirmed the CCT’s jurisdiction, thereby dismissing the appeal filed by the embattled Senate President in a unanimous judgment.

The Executive Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said while applauding the judgment “we had said since the Saraki decided to approach the Appeal court for the second time that he was on trying to buy time and delay justice. In fact, with this ruling, damages should be awarded against him for abuse of the judicial system. This is because the earlier ruling of the appeal court had been validated in February by the Supreme Court, yet Mr. Senate President went back to the appeal court.”

From media reports, the issues put forward in the appeal were all resolved by the judgment including the affirmation of the earlier ruling of the Danladi Umar-led CCT which asserted the tribunal’s jurisdiction, and that under the Constitution, the CCTl was not under any obligation to invite appellants to enable them to make written admission of breaches in their asset declaration forms before charges could be brought against them.

Adeniran said, “with this development, we urge the Federal government to prosecute the cases with the CCT against Saraki with utmost diligence given his very apparent penchant for slipperiness, this his dancing in circles from CCT to Appeal court, Supreme court and back to the appeal court is a perfect example. “However, it is a loathed fact that we would have a Senate President who would eventually be spending more time in a courtroom than in the National Assembly.

In other climes where the principles of the constitutions are upheld and the issues of morality are taken seriously, the Senate President would have been required to vacate his post instantly in order for him to clear his name. This act would definitely create a trend to be emulated in our polity”

“The assets declaration breaches allegedly perpetrated by the Senate President is no small offence and little wonder why he sought to seek a dismissal of the case in the Appeal Court even after a clear verdict had been previously reached. This trip to the Appeal Court was an unnecessary distraction to the subject matter and it laudable that the judiciary used these events to affirm its watchdog role in the constitution.” Adeniran