Ekweremadu contests suit on alleged forged Senate rule

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has challenged the competence of a legal action instituted at the Federal High Court against him and his boss, Bukola Saraki.

Five aggrieved senators, including Abu Ibrahim, Kabiru Garba Marafa, Robert Ajayi Boroffice, Olugbenga Ashafa and Suleiman O. Hunkuyi, had approached the court challenging the legality of the election that produced the duo as presiding officers of the National Assembly.

The plaintiffs are praying the court to set aside the election as according to them, the Senate Standing Order deployed for the exercise was allegedly forged.

But Ekweremadu, in the fresh move, is claiming that the five federal lawmakers erred in law by filling the action vide originating summons.

He contended yesterday that since the case of the aggrieved All Progressive Congress (APC) senators was predicated on alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Order, they ought to have brought the action to court through the writ of summons rather than originating summons.

In a motion on notice filed by his counsel, Patrick Ikwueto (SAN), Ekwueremadu prayed Justice Evoh S. Chukwu to pronounce the case of the aggrieved senators inappropriate for determination through the originating summon procedure.

The Deputy Senate President also asked the judge to order that the case be transferred for hearing under the general cause list while the parties in the suit are directed to file and exchange pleadings and witness statements on oath for hearing and determination of the court.

He argued that the suit filed by originating summons of July 27, 2015, was anchored on alleged falsification of the Standing Order of the Senate