Alfa To Saraki: Obey Court Orders, Swear Me In Now

Following the Supreme Court judgement which upheld his election as the authentic person to represent Kogi East in the Senate, Air vice Marshal Isaac Mohammed Alfa (rtd) yesterday asked Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to swear him in without further delay.

The Supreme Court had declined to hear the appeal filed by Senator Attai Aidoko on the grounds that it was filed out of time and not within 14 days of the delivery of the judgement to be appealed.

Consequently, the judgement of the Court of Appeal which upheld the position of the Federal High Court, declaring Alfa as the rightful person to represent Kogi east in the senate subsists.

The Federal High Court had on June 13, 2018 declared Alfa as the validly elected flag bearer of the PDP for the Kogi east senatorial seat in the 2015 election.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole who presided over the matter ordered Aidoko to vacate the seat just as it ordered INEC to re-issue certificate of return in favour of Alfa.

The court further directed Aidoko to refund all monies collected by him by way of salary and allowances for onward transmission to Alfa, saying Aidoko took Alfa’s seat illegally.

Justice Kolawole awarded N30 billion as general damages against Aidoko which he is to pay personally to Alfa as well as N10 billion being aggravated and extremely charges caused to Alfa.

The court also awarded the cost of N50 million as compensation for instituting the action before the court.

This judgement of the Federal High Court was upheld by 3-man panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja in the judgement they delivered on October 24, 2018. Supreme Court refused to vacate the concurrent judgements of the two courts, as the apex court on January 23, 2019 declined to hear the appeal brought by Senator Aidoko to set aside the appeal court judgement validating the Federal High Court judgement.

According to Alfa, there’s always an end to litigation, and the apex court judgement of the January 23, 2019 did that.

In the press conference he addressed yesterday, Alfa told Saraki to inaugurate him as the senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on February 19, 2019 when the senate reconvenes.

Alfa said, so far the dispute has passed through 31 judges, just as he secured seven judgements in his favour and losing one.

He noted that the case between him and Senator Atai Aidoko over the rightful occupant of Kogi east Senate seat has gone through 31 different Judges who “are all aware of the Senate President’s deliberate refusal to swear me in.”

He alleged that Saraki was determined to keep Aidoko in the Senate in disobedience to express court directive.

Alfa said that he was baffled about “Saraki’s serial disobedience of court orders even as he is the greatest beneficiary of court reliefs per his Code of Conduct assets declaration case.”

He said, “I am convinced that this has become necessary to let the whole world know the embarrassing and selective obedience and disobedience of court orders in the National Assembly by the Senate President and the Clerk of the National Assembly.

“The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki decides which court orders to obey and which to disobey depending on who is involved.

“In my case in particular, the Federal High Court ordered on the 13th day of June, 2018 that I should be sworn in as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Kogi East Senatorial District.

“This order of the Federal High Court was affirmed by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, yet the leadership of the National Assembly ignored the various orders of Court.

“I have not been able to obtain from Dr Saraki the actual reason behind his determination to keep me out of the Senate at all cost,” he said.