The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has asked the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to drop the petition written against him by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo.
OsunDaily News recalls that Keyamo had petitioned the CCB, calling for a probe of the former Vice-President over allegations that he used a Special Purpose Vehicle to divert public funds between 1999 and 2007 as vice president.
The CCB had, in response to the petition, invited the Minister for an interview to back up his claims against the PDP presidential candidate.
But in a letter through his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Atiku asked the bureau to drop the case as the subject matter was already in court.
According to Ozekhome, it would be sub judice and contemptuous for the CCB to be investigating the case when it was already before a court.
Ozekhome said, “It is highly inappropriate for a party to a suit to take any extrajudicial steps, or to embark on any course of action that is either tantamount to or calculated to undermine the authority and integrity of the court, which is dominus litis over the proceedings.
“Such behavior is as condemnable as it is unacceptable. It is strongly frowned upon by courts of law, as it has the potential of over-reaching the court and the other party and foisting on the court a fait accompli. In fact, it smacks of contempt of court, albeit ex facie curiae.”
The senior lawyer asked the CCB to refrain from interfering in the subject matter of Keyamo’s petition and to advise and direct him to pursue his pending litigation against Atiku to its logical conclusion.
Ozekhome warned that should the bureau persist with its investigation, Atiku will activate the judicial process against the CCB.
