By Haruna Salami
The ministerial nominee from Taraba state, Abubakar Danladi as a former senator was set “to take a bow and go”, but the Senate President Godswill Akpabio said before he could do that according to the tradition of the upper chamber when it comes to screening one of their own, he should clear the air on an allegation that the Supreme Court gave a judgement banning him from holding political office in the country for 10 years over forgery.
That gave the nominee the opportunity to say that there was not the case. He said “there was no such pronouncement.
He said when he was a deputy governor in 2007 he was taken to Jalingo High Court and they used their executive power at that time to convict me.
He approached the Supreme Court and the Court sent the matter back to High Court Jalingo since the Supreme Court said there was no basis for the High Court Jalingo to give that judgment. Then the same High Court Jalingo now sat on the same case and set aside that judgement that was hanging on me.
According to him, “Senator Shaibu Lau again took the matter to the Federal High Court, Abuja and the court gave me judgement. He went to Appeal Court and the Appeal Court affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court. He took the matter to the Supreme Court, then the Supreme Court gave me judgement. So, there is no judgement from the Supreme Court barring me for ten years. The Supreme Court are hearing me as I’m speaking and lawyers are there”.
However, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said “the Federal High Court Jalingo gave a judgement against you that you were not qualified to contest on the bases of perjury, that you lied on oath in respect of your date of birth, then later the Federal High Court sat on the same matter and cleared you?
“What we are saying is that the moment the Federal High Court gave the first judgement they can no longer sit as appellate Court over its own judgement. So, you will definitely say what you want to say, we will study this because it is in the interest of Nigeria and it is of Public interest”.
The Senate was able to screen 14 out of the 16 slated for screening on Monday and adjourned to Tuesday to continue with the exercise.
