Saraki, Ekweremadu, Others to Be Arraigned On June 27

A Federal High Court in Abuja, where Senate President Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu were supposed to be arraigned for forgery today, has ordered that they should be served Court order through “Constituted Mail”.

With the order, the charges against Saraki and Ekweremadu would be pasted on the wall of their houses or offices today.

Both Saraki and Ekweremadu had refused to appear at the court to face their Charges on Forgery and Criminal Conspiracy, claiming theta the court had not served them any notice.

The court has, however, set June 27 for the arraignment of Saraki, Ekweremadu and two others charged with forgery of senate rules with which they conducted the Senate Presidential election which brought Saraki as the President and Ekweremadu as his deputy.

Saraki is currently undergoing another trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false declaration of asset.

A former Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and his deputy, Benedict Efeturi, would also be charge with Saraki and Ekweremadu for allegedly falsifying the Senate’s Standing Rules used for electing Saraki in June 2015.

They four accused persons were billed to be arraigned before Justice Yusuf Haliru of the FCT High Court on Tuesday.

The arraignment was however postponed following the inability of the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, to serve them with the originating summons.

Consequently, the trial judge, Mr. Haliru, ordered that the defendants be served with the summons through substituted means.

Details of the notice of service, he said, should be placed on the notice board of the National Assembly for access by the respective defendants.

The charges say the four accused persons conspired to “forge the Senate Standing Order, 2011 (as amended)”.