EDWARD ONOJA FLOORS SENATE AT FEDERAL HIGH COURT
By Onogwu Muhammed
The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State Tuesday restrained the the National Assembly in perpetuity from summoning or investigating Mr. Edward Onoja, the Chief Of Staff To Governor Yahaya Bello Of Kogi State based on a petition it received.
The petition, made by one Timothy A. Henry, a suspected fictitious person, involved allegations that Mr. Onoja while a staff of one of the new generation banks was involved when some customers took loans on which they later defaulted.
The court said the senate lacked the constitutional power to summon Mr. Onoja on the said petition.
It will be recalled the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions by letter dated the 8th of March, 2018 had summoned Onoja to appear before it to answer allegations against him upon which Mr. Onoja approached the Federal High Court leading to today's judgment.
Honourable Justice A.A.Demi-Ajayi granted all of Mr. Onoja's prayers in his Originating Summons filed on the 16th of March, 2018. She also struck out the Senate's Preliminary Objection and every prayer in their substantive defence before awarding damages to Mr. Onoja. The judge insisted that such a petition to the Senate was unconstitutional, null and void and ought not to have been entertained.
Responding to the judgement, Mr Onoja said the judgment was a victory for democracy. He praised the judiciary for always standing up for the common man through effective justice delivery and decried the tendency of certain senators in the 8th Assembly to mortgage the image of the Senate and waste her precious resources in chasing private vendetta against law abiding citizens. Onoja urged Nigerians to be vigilant and elect only credible people to represent them at the National Assembly in next year's election.
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