Justice Abdukadir Abdu-Kafarati of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday withdrew from the case filed by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, seeking an order to stop his trial for false assets declaration before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
The development, which followed reports in Sahara Reporters and Naij.com accusing the judge of having been compromised by Saraki, stalled the judgment that was to be delivered in the case on Tuesday.
One of the online platforms had referred to Abdu-Kafarati as a billionaire judge who has issued the highest number of injunctions on cash-and carry basis.
It was even alleged that N2 billion was traced to his account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
Quoting from the reports, Justice Abdu-Kafarati said his integrity had been maligned and the honourable thing was for him to disqualify himself from the case
“The two publications made allegations against my person, alleging that I have been compromised with N2bn. They also alleged that I am known in the legal cycle for being susceptible to corruption.
“What this has done is to put my integrity to question. I however regard the publishers as people of unsound mind. They know that what they said is not true. They just derive pleasure when they malign the integrity of a judicial office.
“It is unfortunate that we don’t have the appropriate laws to take care of this. As it stands, I am caught between two devils, if the judgment goes in favour of Saraki now they will say that I have been compromised, on the other hand, if it goes against him they will say I have been intimidated.
“In light of the allegation, the right and appropriate thing to do is to disqualify myself and return the case-file to the Chief Judge for re-assignment to another Judge,” the judge declared.
Justice Abdu-Kafarati had on March 1, heard and fixed Tuesday for judgment in Saraki’s case.
The judgment was to come on the heel of an earlier verdict of the Supreme Court which had on February 5 validated the Senate President’s trial before the CCT.
Incidentally, the CCT itself on March 18 fixed Thursday to deliver its ruling on Saraki’s another application challenging the validity of the charges and the tribunal’s jurisdiction to entertain the case.
An earlier application by Saraki seeking an order halting his trial was dismissed by the CCT, and the tribunal’s ruling became a subject of appeals which he lost at the Court of Appeal and finally laid to rest by the Supreme Court’s judgment which also dismissed it on February 5.
