#BBB NEWS| Corruption Trial Of Senate President Saraki Commences As CCT Rejects Request For Adjournment

The corruption trial of Nigeria’s embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is finally underway in Abuja after he lost another effort to have it adjourned and the drama prolonged.

Lawyers to Mr. Saraki, led by Paul Usoro, arrived at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) armed with a motion for adjournment, claiming they had again filed an appeal to stop the trial, a game they have played for many months.

Federal prosecutor Rotimi Jacobs resisted the effort, spiritedly telling the court he was ready for trial.  He repeatedly told the court that the so-called appeal was nothing but another ruse, pointing out that the paperwork submitted by Mr. Saraki's lawyer shows that a proper appeal had not been filed because the Supreme Court had already ruled on the matters being appealed.

After both sides argued on points of law, a member of the tribunal was so alarmed at the antics of Saraki's lawyers that he wondered aloud why Nigeria is still stuck at the tactics being crudely employed by Saraki at the trial.

#BBB NEWS| Senate President Saraki Begs Billionaire Judge To Deliver Judgement On Suit Challenging His Trial

Embattled Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday, begged Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to go ahead and deliver judgement on the suit challenging his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.

This came on a day the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, distanced itself from the decision of Justice Kafarati to decline ruling in the fundamental human rights enforcement case brought before him by Senate President.

Justice Kafarati had on Tuesday, disqualified himself from the matter which was originally scheduled for judgement, owing to bribery allegation levelled against him by two online media outlets. However, Saraki, yesterday, said he was dissatisfied that the judge was blackmailed by his enemies to hands off the suit that was ripe for judgement.

#BBB NEWS| Supreme Court To Hear Senate President Saraki’s Appeal Against Corruption Trial On Thursday

The Supreme Court has picked Thursday for hearing on the appeal filed by Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

The apex court’s decision to hear the appeal this week was contained in hearing notices sent to parties in the case, a copy of which The Nation sighted on Monday.

Saraki is challenging the decision of the Code of Conduct tribunal (CCT) to assume jurisdiction over the false asset declaration charges brought against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

The Court of Appeal, in a split decision of two-to-one upheld the CCT’s jurisdiction to hear the charges, a decision Saraki appealed at the Supreme Court.

#BBB NEWS| Senate President Saraki Appeals Corruption Trial At The Supreme Court

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has appealed to the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which affirmed the jurisdiction of Code of Conduct Tribunal ( CCT ) to try him on 13 counts of false assets declaration.

He is praying for the Supreme Court to stop his trial before the CCT over the alleged offences pending the determination of his appeal.

He is seeking, “an order staying further proceedings in Charge No: CCT/ABJ/01/2015 between Federal Republic of Nigeria vs Dr. Olubukola Abubakar Saraki fixed for hearing on 5th and 6th of November, 2015 pending the determination of the appeal pending before the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Court of Appeal dated 30th October, 2015.”

Saraki raised seven grounds of appeal in his notice attached to the application for stay of proceedings, urging the Supreme Court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, the entire proceedings of the CCT and the charges preferred against him before the tribunal.

#BBB NEWS| Saraki: Time To Step Down By Olatunji Dare

This is the time-tested piece of advice I would have passed on to the beleaguered Senate President Bukola Saraki if he was not too far gone in his self- absorption, his overweening sense of entitlement, his predilection for cutting corners, and his Raskolnikov Complex, the delusion named for the central character in Dostoyevsky great novel, Crime and Punishment, that the rules do not apply to him.

Summoned to appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal(CCT) in the investigation of some baffling inconsistencies in his declaration of assets, he spurns the order, dismisses the charges as false and frivolous, awards himself an acquittal, and seeks a court to block the Tribunal’s proceedings.

In response to this contumacy, the CCT issued a Bench warrant for his arrest.  Saraki petitioned another court in a bid to void the warrant. Based on that petition, he again failed to show up before the CCT.

The CCT, Saraki charged, was being used to fight political opponents “to achieve through the back door what some people cannot get through democratic process.”

#BBB NEWS| Bukola Saraki Announces He Will Be At His Tribunal Tomorrow

Senate President Bukola Saraki has announced that he will be physically present at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) Tribunal tomorrow, according to a press statement and social media posts.

The embattled Senator has been under intense pressure for weeks following investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), National Police, and CCB of him or his family.

The Tribunal issued a warrant for Bukola Saraki to be present at the Tribunal, shortly after the judge's announcement Bukola Saraki fled to Kwara State while his lawyer attempted legal maneuvers.

The press release from Saraki's media team is below:

The Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki will appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal tomorrow Tuesday 22nd of September 2015.

#BBB NEWS| I Dropped My Presidential Ambition For Buhari — Saraki

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has denied reports that he is nursing the ambition for presidency in 2019, saying he actually quit his presidential bid in the 2015 election for President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki stated that he contributed immensely to the emergence of Buhari as President and contributed greatly to his victory in the presidential election held on March 28, 2015.

The Senate President, who spoke to select journalists in an exclusive interview in Abuja on Saturday, also denied having plans to dump the All Progressives Congress due to the ongoing crisis in the party over his leadership of the Senate.

Rather, he said what remained paramount in his mind at the moment was how to support the Buhari-led administration to tackle the various social and economic problems confronting the country.