Court suspends judgment on Saraki, 53 others over defection

JUSTICE Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday suspended judgment in a suit seeking the sack of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and 53 others over their defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last year.

The court suspended the verdict scheduled for delivery yesterday following the appearance of Mahmoud Magaji, who made a case of fair hearing for the national lawmakers.

Although Justice Abang expressed reservation on the inability of the legislators to defend selves in the suit brought against them by a civil society group, Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), he nonetheless, consented that since the lawmakers have woken from their slumber, it would be in the interest of justice to hear their own side of the story.

“The defendants had sufficient time to challenge this suit but failed. They allowed the plaintiff to incur cost to prosecute this matter and also allowed the court to painstakingly prepare judgment.

“They are now in court trying to arrest the judgment,” he said.

Abang, however, maintained that notwithstanding what the plaintiff and the court had gone through, the right of the defendants to be heard was a fundamental matter.

“I think the defendants should be heard before judgment is given.

“It will be a breach of the fundamental right of the defendants to fair hearing, though  they came late into the matter, for the court to proceed and deliver judgment.

“I will reluctantly suspend delivery of the judgment to allow the defendants to be heard,” the judge said.

In his ruling on an application moved by Mogaji, Justice Abang ordered the respondents to file their processes and served them on the plaintiff by Thursday and that the plaintiff, upon receipt of the respondents processes must reply within five hours.Justice Abang who fixed hearing in the matter till Friday, ruled that he had adjourned till today in view of the circumstances of the suit.

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LEDAP had dragged Saraki and the 53 other lawmakers to court seeking a declaration that they were no longer members of the National Assembly having defected to other political parties before the expiration of their tenure.

The group, in their suit filed on September 14, 2018, prayed the court for an interpretation of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.

This was with regards to whether any member of the National Assembly who resigns from the political party that sponsored his election before the expiration of the term for which he was elected, automatically loses his seat in the assembly.

The group was also seeking a declaration that the lawmakers were no longer entitled to receive any remuneration due to a member of the National Assembly and that any of such remunerations after their date of defection be refunded to the Federal Government.

LEDAP in the suit, also prayed the presiding members of the National Assembly to declare vacant, the seats of the defectors.

They had argued the matter in court with only a counsel to the Senate President being represented once while the other defendants never sent representation.