The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami , on Wednesday appeared before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human rights and Legal Matters on after the Senate had issued a warning that it would trigger its constitutional powers to deal with the minister if he continued to snub its invitations.
The minister failed severally to honour invitation of the upper legislative chamber that required him to explain to the senators why his office had put the Senate leadership on trial. Both the Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy Ike Ekweremadu are facing trial for an alleged forgery of senate standing order that guided their elections into the their prime positions.
While appearing before the senators, the AGF told them that his invitation by the committee is sub judice.
He said if any case is pending before a court of law, no other arm of government is expected to look into or take any action on it and it will be prejudicial for him to make any insinuation or conclusion on the matter.
Malami stated that as the number one law officer he has the constitutional mandate to sustain the democratic process in line with section 174 subsection 1.
The case instituted against the leadership of the senate by his office was at the instance of some serving senators and according to him it was filed after the conclusion of police investigation.
Chairman of the senate committee on judiciary, human rights and legal matters, Sen. David Umaru stated that section 62 of the 1999 constitution gives the senate the power to make rules to regulate its own proceedings and that their mandate was not to look at the cases pending in court but events that preceded the case which were interior and exclusive to the senate.
Reacting further, the AGF stated categorically that his decision was based purely on public interest and the interest of justice.He said the trial does not amount to dabbling into the affairs of the senate, insisting that the senate standing order of 2015 as amended did not follow the standard procedure of the senate.
The senate standing rule of 2011 was amended as a result of a senate resolution passed during plenary indicating areas that needed amendments as agreed by all but this was not case with the 2015 amendment making it necessary to institute the case, he noted.
