Supreme Court Didn’t Bar Me From Holding Public Office, Says Ministerial Nominee
The ministerial nominee from Taraba State, Senator Abubakar Danladi, on Monday, denied being barred from holding public office for 10 years by the Supreme Court.
Danladi made this known while answering questions from Senators during his screening by the Senate.
There had been social media posts clamouring for Danladi’s disqualification over a Supreme Court ruling that barred him from holding public offices for 10 years.
However, when asked to respond to allegations that the Supreme Court had barred him from holding political office for 10 years for lying on oath, Danladi denied such.
He said, “The Federal High Court, Jalingo, as at the time I contested for the governorship election, said that because of my age on my certificate, the judge gave a judgement against me.
“I now took the matter up to the Appeal Court. When we were in the Appeal court, they just strike out the case.
“The same thing, Justice (Mary) Odili said that the Federal High Court Jalingo was wrong to have decided the judgement in that way because when I was Deputy Governor in 2007, the same Federal High Court Jalingo used their veto power at that time to rule against me.”
He added, “So, from Supreme Court, I had to go back to the Federal High Court Jalingo because the Supreme Court said there was no basis for the Federal High Court Jalingo to do that.
“Then the same jurisdiction of Federal High Court Jalingo now sat on the same judgement and set aside that judgement that was hanging on me.”
At this point, Senate President Godswill Akpabio interjected, saying, “The Federal High Court Jalingo gave a judgement against you that you were not qualified to contest on the basis of perjury that you lied on oath, in respect of your date of birth then later, that same Federal High Court sat on the same matter and cleared you?
“What we are saying is that the moment the Federal High Court gave the first judgement, the Federal High Court has become ‘Functus Officio’ in law and can no longer sit as an appellate court over the same judgement.
“So, you will definitely send what you need to send and we will study them because it is in the interest of Nigeria and it’s in the public interest.”
Danladi, however, insisted that he is presently at the Supreme Court and that the Supreme Court is yet to give a judgement on the matter.
He was thereafter asked to take a bow being a former Senator in accordance with the tradition of the National Assembly.
