There were mixed reactions at the National Assembly, on Friday following a bench warrant issued by Justice Danladi Umar’s of the Code of Conduct Tribunal on the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
The warrant followed Saraki’s failure to appear before it over 13 count charges of corruption slammed against him.
In a live telecast of the tribunal’s adjudication in Abuja, the prosecuting counsel sought for Saraki’s arrest, citing relevant provisions of the Tribunal’s Act, which empowers its Chairman to issue warrant of arrest.
Defense counsel to the Senate President argued on the strength that the High Court had earlier issued injunction restraining the Tribunal from hearing the charges.
Relying on the coordinate jurisdiction of the High Court and that of the Tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar in his judgement sustained his order that Saraki be arrested and be produced before his Tribunal on Monday 21st September, 2015.
However, Saraki’s Counsel, Joseph Daodu urged the Tribunal to vacate the warrant of arrest while he undertakes to produce Saraki based on the fact that he is occupying a very senior position.
Justice Umar however sustained the warrant of arrest after the prosecution counsel argued that the relief was already belated.
A senator from the North East, who spoke on the condition of anonymity maintained that he would have appeared before the Tribunal to save himself of this embarrassment, noting that it was not a death sentence as things had really changed.
“Was it a death sentence for Mr Senate President to be invited before a Tribunal? He should have appeared to save himself of this embarrassment, after all others before him have had this kind of experiences too”, he said.
In Saraki’s office, it was absolute silence, even as his aides were not around to speak.
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