Justice Umar refuses to disqualify self from Saraki’s trial

This was just as Saraki pleaded not guilty to the 16 amended charge filed by the prosecution

The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, on Thursday refused to disqualify himself from presiding over the trial of the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who is standing trial over alleged anticipatory declaration of assets.
This was just as Saraki pleaded not guilty to the 16 amended charge filed by the prosecution.
Based on the amended charge, the tribunal however adjourned till May 10 for continuation of trial.
Saraki had filed an application seeking the tribunal chairman to disqua‎lify himself on ground that he (Umar) is under the investigation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged N10 million bribe and hence there is the likelihood of bias, which could invariably affect the justice of the matter.
However, Saraki has appealed against the refusal of the tribunal chairman to disqualify himself from further presiding over his trial, having been accused of bias in the conduct of the trial.
In the Notice of Appeal filed by Rapheal Oluyede, Saraki claimed that the CCT chairman erred in law when he arrived at a conclusion that the application seeking his disqualification lacks absolute merit.
Part of the grounds of appeal was that the tribunal chairman by his action has turned himself to a judge in his own case, leading to a ruling that was essentially a tirade against the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
In the ground two of the appeal, Saraki submitted that the CCT erred in law when it decided that the application lacks absolute merit merely because Umar is of the opinion that the AGF has no constitutional right to investigate and that the AGF lacked authority to give instruction to the EFCC to prosecute him.
He therefore asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the ruling of the tribunal and to as well disqualify Umar from sitting on the panel trying him on charges that were investigated and being prosecuted by EFCC.