Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja Wednesday reserved judgment on the suit challenging the legality of the Senate Standing Rule used in the election of Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki and the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.
The judgment has been held back following petition written by the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu insinuating bias on the part of the Justice Ademola whose wife has been appointed Head of Service, Lagos State government.
Justice Ademola said Wednesday that the judgment on the suit will be delivered within the time limit stipulated by law except the chief judge stops it.
The judge’s remark followed an objection by five senators who instituted the action to a petition written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu asking for transfer of the case from Justice Ademola even when judgment has been reserved.
The five senators are: Abu Ibrahim, Kabir Garba Marafa, Robert Ajayi Boroffice, Bareehu Olugbenga Ashafa and Suleiman Othman Hunkuyu. In their objection to Ekweremadu’s petition, they dismissed the allegation of bias made against Justice Ademola as unwarranted and a calculated attempt to blackmail the judge.
The objection was filed by Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman who on Wednesday told Justice Ademola not to be dettered by the content of Ekweremadu’s petition on the ground that there was no basis for the petition in the first instance.
The five senators claimed that Ekweremadu’s petition was unreasonable and in bad taste and faith because he (Ekweremadu) has never for once appeared in court personally to witness proceedings in the matter and therefore cannot make a case of bias.
The plaintiffs also told the judge that the Deputy Senate President is being represented by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Patrick Ikweto, who has never and will never associate himself with such an allegation of bias that cannot be substantiated in the court or anywhere.
Other defendants in the case also told the judge that the petition was strange to them because they were not copied.
It would be recalled that Ekweremadu had last week petitioned Justice Ademola before the Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Auta and copied the Chief Justice of Nigeria asking that the case be taken away from the judge for fear of being bias against the defendants on the strength of the “sudden appointment” of the wife of the judge as the Head of Service in Lagos State.
Ekweremadu claimed in the petition that “Lagos forces” being aggrieved on the election of National Assembly principal officers, gave the Head of Service job to Mrs. Ademola by Lagos State Government so as to do the bidding of those opposing the emergence of principal officers of the parliament.
Justice Ademola after listening to lawyers present in court on Wednesday, said that he will deliver judgment in the matter except the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court gives a contrary directive.
On December 15, last year when final addresses were adopted respondents had told the court that they did not violate any law or breach any rule in the election that produced Senate President in June, 2015, contrary to the claims by some aggrieved Senators.
