The Federal Government has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit seeking an order stopping the Senate from being reconvened without the authorisation of Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/843/18 was instituted by Saraki’s loyalists, Senators Rabiu Adebayo (Kwara South) and Isa Misau (Bauchi Central).
The duo, Saraki and some other Senators recently dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In his notice of preliminary objection, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), argued that the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi to file the litigation.
He asked the court to hold that the plaintiffs, though members of the Senate, were total strangers to the circumstances that gave rise to the suit.
Malami insisted that “there were nothing showing that the Senate President has complained to the plaintiffs that his powers are being usurped by some agents of the state”.
He maintained that since every declaration and order sought by the plaintiffs in the suit were directly for the benefit of the Senate President, the plaintiffs lacked locus standi to commence the suit and that the court lacks jurisdiction to hear and determine the plaintiffs’ suit.
The AGF also faulted the legal action which he argued was mischievously anchored on the grounds of Saraki’s re-invitation by the police regarding the bank robbery that took place in Offa, Kwara State.
