Unity Forum: We Didn’t Withdraw Suit against Saraki, Ekweremadu

The Senate Unity Forum (SUF) yesterday denied the claim by Senator Dino Melaye that it had withdrawn its suit on the forgery of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 against Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, from an Abuja High Court.

A statement issued on behalf of the Senate by the Chairman of its Ad-hoc Committee on Information and Publicity, Melaye, on Tuesday, had said Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, struck out the case following its withdrawal by the plaintiffs.

But counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman (SAN), in a swift reaction yesterday, described the claim as “erroneous and mischievous.”

In a statement, Osuman said the suit with reference number FHC/ABJ/CS/647/2015 and dated July 24, wherein “the purported elections of Saraki and Ekweremadu were challenged,” has not been withdrawn.

The statement added that there were two suits, one of which he said was filed by Senator Anthony Adeniyi, a member of the seventh Senate “oblivious of the existence of the above particularised suit, he, having been briefed, filed yet another civil suit in court with an originating summons: FHC/ABJ/CS/651/2015. The above particularised suit differs in contents as can be distilled from their respective grounds, reliefs sought, affidavit evidence, parties and declarations sought.”

According to him, it was the first suit filed by Adeniyi that was withdrawn and not the one filed by serving Senators Suleiman Hunkuyi, Kabir Garba Marafa, Abu Ibrahim, Robert Ajayi Boroffice and Gbenga Ashafa.

“Despite the legal possibility that the suit discontinued could be re-filed, the media should have been more specific about the case withdrawn... Contrary to the misinformation put out there, we hereby confirm that the originating summons in suit no:FHC/ABJ/CS/651/2015 filed at the instance of the above-named senators against Saraki, Ekweremadu and the National Assembly has not been withdrawn.”

He also insisted that the prayers sought in the originating summons seeking to declare that the elections of Saraki and Ekweremadu are “illegal, irregular and non-sustainable because the Senate Standing Orders (2011) were not amended in the manner stipulated by Rules 110 of the 2011 Senate Standing Orders to produce the purported document titled: ‘Senate Standing Orders 2015 (as amended)’ still subsist.