Assets Declaration: Court Refuses To Order Ekweremadu’s Arrest

The Federal High Court, Abuja has refused to issue a bench
warrant for the arrest of the Deputy Senate President, Ike
Ekweremadu, over his absence in court to defend the charges of
refusal to declare his assets.

Justice Binta Nyako declined to issue the warrant on Thursday,
noting that the senator was already challenging the jurisdiction of
the court and validity of the charge against him.

The Special Presidential Investigative Panel for the Recovery of
Public Assets had through its counsel, Mr Celsius Ukpong, applied
to Justice Nyako to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of
Ekweremadu to compel his attendance in court to defend the charges
against him.

The counsel told the judge that the lawmaker ought to be in
court physically in connection with the criminal charge instituted
against him since May 11.

He also informed the court that the Deputy Senate President
decided on his own not to obey the summon, despite being duly
served with the charge as required by law.

Ekweremadu’s counsel, Mr Adegboyega Awomolo, however, objected
to the request for the bench warrant on the ground that the senator
had filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court
to hear the charge against him and also the validity of the charge
itself.

He submitted that appearance of Ekweremadu in court was not
necessary for now until the issue of jurisdiction and competency of
the charge have been resolved by the court.

Awomolo added that it would be more honourable for the
presidential panel to withdraw the charge against his client in
view of the Court of Appeal judgment delivered against the panel on
November 5.

While tendering a copy of the judgment to the court, he
emphasised that the appellate court had made it abundantly clear
that the panel which filed the criminal charge against Senator
Ekweremadu had no prosecutorial power under the law.

He then urged the court to discountenance the arguments of the
complainant.

In a short ruling, Justice Nyako held that there was no
necessity to issue a bench warrant against Ekweremadu.

She also adjourned the matter till February 26, 2019, to hear
the objection filed by the lawmaker against the court’s
jurisdiction and the competence of the charge against him.

The Presidential panel had filed two charges bordering on the
alleged refusal of the Deputy Senate President to declare his
assets.