Danladi Umar, chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), has asked security to throw out Raphael Oluyede, one of the lawyers of Senate President Bukola Saraki, for talking back at him.
Umar also “threw away” an application by Saraki asking him to withdraw from his trial.
Speaking on the application, the CCT judge said: “This motion filed by a mere busybody legal practitioner is not accepted by this tribunal.
“Members of the inner bar, you are to guide him. How can you allow such a rubbish thing from him?
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“This motion is of no consequence. As far as this tribunal is concerned is thrown away.”
A verbal melee had ensued when Oluyede asked the tribunal to give him room to speak on the application.
But Umar overruled his request and ordered him to sit down.
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Oluyede refused to obey the order, a shouting match then started.
In the heat of the argument, an angry Umar ordered police officers at the tribunal to throw his “challenger” out.
The courtroom immediately broke into loud murmurs, and tension was palpable. However, the presence of security men stopped the situation from degenerating any further.
In the application filed by Oluyede, and seen by TheCable, the senate president asked Umar to disqualify himself from the case on the grounds that he was biased.
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The application, which was filed on Wednesday at the CCT, read in part: “An order disqualifying/recusing the Honourable Justice Danladi Umar (Chairman of this tribunal) from sitting on the panel of this tribunal for hearing and determination of the charges filed in these proceedings for the reason that his continued presence on the said panel of this tribunal offends the provisions of section 36 (1) of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria which prescribes that ‘In the determination of his civil rights and obligations, including any question or determination by or against any government or authority, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in such manner as to secure its independence and impartiality.’
“A likelihood of bias by the tribunal against the appellant… undermines and withdraws from the tribunal, the jurisdiction which it is normally endowed….”
6 comments
The lawyer is a huge joke… How could u ask the tribunal Chairman to disqualify himself? Go to a competent court if you feel you have a case to prove.
Justice Umar made a mistake by asking his challenger to be thrown out of tribunal. The lawyer supposed to be detained in court cell for having the guts to talk back at a judge.
Only in Nigeria such nonsense happens…..
Justice Umar Danladi has no right to send the lawyer out of the court because he been biased in his hearing and he takes the case so personal.
For those of us who are taking side with the lawyer and disagreeing with the chair’s action, I would say it’s very unfortunate. To me, the lawyer was fortunate to have escaped jail. This is not a question of the chair been bias or not been bias. It is a function of respect for the Bench. Who is in charge of the tribunal? I want those against the chair actions to name any democracy in the world where you will talk back at the Bench and refused the Bench request and nothing happens. If not only in Nigeria where some lawyers either look down on the Bench or fill they are bigger than the law and Bench. Like I had earlier mentioned, the lawyer should count himself lucky for escaping jail.
It is a pity that at this stage of Nigeria democracy, we still have senators and lawyers who make interpret law making useless of the law. The defendant lawyer misinterpreted the law few days ago when he said that Senate can not hold without the present of Senate president. Now after contesting this hearing in many level of Nigeria courts, he, the lawyer and saraki now believed the the Judge is not qualified . This is a slap in Nigeria political era. With all these, the best honourable thing is that saraki should resign as Senate president and look for competent lawyers who are not after his money. Thank God the constitution gives this power to CCT. God bless Nigeria
Your comments. good jobs I like the way that umar did in the court