Group drags Senate to court, files suit to stop Saraki, Ekweremadu's impeachment

macfranc007 September 03, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Tunde Ososanya

- A group has dragged the Senate to court over alleged plot to remove Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu from their offices

- The group prayed the court to stop the Senate from removing Saraki and Ekweremadu as Senate president and deputy Senate president respectively

- It says it is only votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of the Senate that can remove the duo

A group, Incorporated Trustees of the Civil Society Observatory for Constitutional and Legal Compliance (CSOCLC) has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Senate from removing Senate president Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, from their offices.

The Sun reports that the group prayed the court that the duo of Saraki and Ekweremadu should not be removed from office unless by a resolution backed up by not less than 73 votes of senators.

NAIJ.com gathers that the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/936/2018 has all the 109 Senators as defendants.

In the originating summons dated August 24, 2018, and filed by Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, the group cited section 50 (2) (c) of the 1999 constitution to buttress its point on why Senators Saraki and Ekweremadu cannot be removed from their offices unless by a resolution of the Senate supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of the Senate.

The group posed the following questions for the court’s determination:"Whether by the clear and extant provisions of section 50 (2) (c) of the 1999 constitution, a president of the Senate and a deputy president of the Senate such as Saraki and Ekweremadu can be removed from their said offices as president of the Senate and deputy president of the Senate respectively unless by a resolution of the Senate supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of the Senate.

"Whether by the combined provisions of sections 3 (1) and (4) and (48) of the 1999 constitution, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not comprised of 109 members.

"Whether two-thirds majority of the 109 members of the Senate is not comprised of 73 members. Whether the 1st and 2nd defendants can be removed from office as president of the Senate and deputy president of the Senate respectively unless pursuant to a resolution supported by the votes of not less than 73 members of the Senate."

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba directed that all the process relating to the suit be filed and served on all parties before September 6, 2018, which is the next adjourned date.

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to hands off the case seeking to stop the removal of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki.

The AGF challenged the court's jurisdiction to entertain the suit filed before it by two former All Progressives Congress (APC) senators, Rafiu Adebayo and Isa Misau.

Nigeria Election 2019: What are Bukola Saraki’s chances against President Buhari - on NAIJ.com TV