A ministerial nominee from Taraba State, Senator Sani Danladi, appeared before the Senate on Monday for screening.
It was widely reported that the politician had been convicted of forgery and barred from contesting or holding political offices for ten years by the Supreme Court.
During the screening, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, asked Danladi to comment on the numerous petitions written against him over his conviction.
He, however, answered, “There was no Supreme Court pronouncement banning me for ten years; it’s just the speculation of my enemies. All my judgments are before you; none of them indicts me that I should not contest elections.
“The Federal High Court Jalingo, at that time, because of the age on my certificate, gave judgment against me.
“I took the matter to the Appeal Court, and it was struck out for lack of merit. At the Supreme Court, the judge ruled that the Federal High Court was wrong because when I was a deputy governor in 2007, the same Federal High Court Jalingo used their veto power to nullify me.”
In a separate statement, Senator Danladi, through his lawyer, Mr Ujah Israel, said the story was not only meant to put him in bad light but to also present him as ineligible for the position for which President Bola Tinubu has nominated him in the eyes of the approving agencies.
The case indeed came up on March 6, 2019 at the Federal High Court, Jalingo Division as judgement was delivered in Suit No: FHC/JAL/CS/1/2019 between Usman Udi & 3 Ors. Vs. Abubakar Sani Danladi & Anor, wherein he, Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi, was disqualified from contesting the gubernatorial election of Taraba State in the 2019 General Election.
Adding that on appeal against the decision to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, the appeal was struck out for being incompetent.
“However, at page 20 of the Supreme Court’s Judgment, His Lordship, Peter-Odili, JSC (as she then was) held thus: “Learned Senior Counsel for the appellants had sought to lead the court to the earlier situation relating to the cause of action at the trial court by contending that the trial court itself had no jurisdiction to determine the matter in the first place if Section 285 CFRN is applicable since the cause of action arose on 25th October, 2018 a point not disputed and the Originating Summons filed on 9th January 2017 which made the action filed 76 days after the accrued cause of action, instead of 14 days provided by Section 285 (9) of the Constitution.”
He stated that premised on the findings of the apex Court, Senator Danladi commenced an action before the same Federal High Court, Jalingo Division to set aside its earlier decision on the grounds that the Court lacked the Jurisdiction to have entertained the suit in the first place.
According to him, the Court found merit in the case and on October 15, 2021, set aside its earlier decision as being a decision given without jurisdiction.
The Defendants in SUIT No: Fhc/Jal/Cs/10/2021 Between Abubakar Sani Danladi Vs. Usman Udi &5 ORS thereafter filed a Notice and Grounds of Appeal to the Court of Appeal, Yola Division, which was later withdrawn.
READ OTHER STORIES:
Atiku In Court As Parties Adopt Final Addresses
Sierra Leone Foils Alleged Plot to Undermine Democracy and Maintain Security
EU Condemns Arrests by Niger’s Junta and Demands Immediate Release of Ousted Government Ministers
South Africa’s Opposition Party Accuses Radical Left Rival of Inciting Hatred
Ghanaian Student Loses Scholarship in the US Over Homophobic Attacks
