Yesterday, Bukola Saraki’s hearing at the code of conduct tribunal was marred by controversy when his lawyers allegedly left the court during proceedings in protest of what they called “judicial rascality”. The Senate President was left red-faced after 27 of his lawyers decided to no longer represent him at the proceedings and instead left him there.
The lawyers, consisting of 3 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), had already called for a suspension of the trial till the Supreme Court decided on Bukola Saraki’s appeal. However, the sitting Judge, Danladi Umar, denied this plea and asked for the prosecutor to call his witnesses and proceed with the trial. At this point, the defense, speaking through Raji Magaji SAN allegedly said “I therefore hereby withdraw my legal services to the defendant”. He then asked for permission from the Judge to leave, to which the Judge told them they were all free to go. But were they ethically right to do so?
Today, Nigerians woke up to the news that Saraki’s lawyers ‘walked out’ of the proceedings. As such, civil rights group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has also asked the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to “urgently investigate the conduct of the lawyers”.
Former NBA President, Rotimi Akeredolu, was quoted saying “it is within a counsel’s right to withdraw further appearance for his client at anytime of his calling. He, of course, will inform the judge of his decision before exiting the walls of the court. This will not be tantamount to walking out on the court or judge.” Therefore, it seems the defense lawyers did not break any laws when they decided to leave the court. They informed the judge of their decision and asked for permission to leave the court. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria said for anyone to call it a “walk-out” is blackmail to the lawyers.
Saraki’s ploy to delay trial
The decision of the lawyers to stop representing Bukola Saraki, suddenly, in the midst of the trial might be seen as a disgrace to the Senate President. But it may also have been a ploy to postpone trials until the planned amendment to constitution in the senate passes into Law, with Bukola Saraki implicit in this plan.
The Nigerian Senate plans to amend the constitution to grant immunity to Nigerian Senators and this would shield Bukola Saraki from prosecution. Bukola Saraki asked, yesterday, that the Judge grant him a month to find Lawyers to represent him. However, the Judge denied him and instead postponed hearing till the 19th of November. That attempt smacks of desperation from Saraki.
It is also suspicious that he has not come out to talk of how his Lawyers abandoned him at the tribunal. Should a client not be aggrieved that he was left in the lurch in the middle of his own court case? It instead implies that the whole thing was planned to further postpone the trials.
Some Top Government officials in Nigeria have a history of looking for loopholes in the constitution or compromising the judges, when facing trials so as to escape justice. Nigerians are however indeed curious as to how Bukola Saraki’s trials end, especially in this season of “change”. Would these hearings and drama be in vain? It could also signify a turning point for Nigeria; where no one is above the Law.
