As the trial of the senate president, Bukola Saraki, resumed on Wednesday at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), his application to have tribunal chairman, Danladi Umar, step down was dismissed.
Saraki is facing a 16-count charge of false assets declaration and does not believe that he would have a fair hearing at the tribunal under Umar’s leadership based on comments credited to the chairman.
“The application to recuse myself has not been contemplated in the constitution. In the absence of a chairman, this trial cannot go on; therefore I cannot recuse myself,” Umar said on Wednesday. “The chairman is the tribunal, without the chairman there is no tribunal.”
The tribunal ruled that Saraki’s application was founded on mere conjecture.
In April, Saraki had also attempted to have Umar recuse himself from the case following allegations of fraud levelled against him (Umar). The application was however dismissed for lacking in merit.
As the trial of the senate president, Bukola Saraki, resumed on Wednesday at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), his application to have tribunal chairman, Danladi Umar, step down was dismissed.
Saraki is facing a 16-count charge of false assets declaration and does not believe that he would have a fair hearing at the tribunal under Umar’s leadership based on comments credited to the chairman.
“The application to recuse myself has not been contemplated in the constitution. In the absence of a chairman, this trial cannot go on; therefore I cannot recuse myself,” Umar said on Wednesday. “The chairman is the tribunal, without the chairman there is no tribunal.”
The tribunal ruled that Saraki’s application was founded on mere conjecture.
In April, Saraki had also attempted to have Umar recuse himself from the case following allegations of fraud levelled against him (Umar). The application was however dismissed for lacking in merit.
