The Code of Conduct Tribunal, 31st October, 2013 could not continue with the hearing of two cases pending before at its resumed hearing. The inability of the Tribunal to hear the cases was attributed to lack of quorum of its presiding judges for the resumed hearing. The cases the Tribunal was to hear have been pending before it since last year, 2012.
The first was the case involving Dr. Willie Siyanbola, CEO National Centre for Technology Management, ObafemiAwolowo University, who was arraigned before the Tribunal having been alleged to have breached the Federal Character Principle in the recruitment exercise into the Centre.
The second case was that of Federal Government versus Moses Naomi Lasara, and five others from the services of Gombe State Government for refusing to declare their asset.
The Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Danladi Yakub Umar said his two other colleagues were indisposed hence the inability of the Tribunal to sit for the day. Justice Danladi apologized for the inconveniencies the situation could cause to counsels and their clients.
He added that" the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act stipulates that the Chairman and one other member can constitute a quorum to hold a session", but the situation for 31st October was not so.
The Prosecution counsel in one of the two scheduled cases, Abbas Ibrahim, and Assistant Chief State Counsel announced his appearance but applied for adjournment for the lack of quorum of the Tribunal's judges.
It could be recalled sometimes last year, that the case involving Dr. Willie Siyanbola was adjourned to 31st October, for report to the Tribunal on the status of the appeal by the accused , on the ruling delivered against him. The appeal bothers on the jurisdiction of the Tribunal to try the accused person.
The lead Counsel for the accused person, Barrister Adamson Adeboro prayed the Tribunal to adjourn the case sine-die, pending the determination of their case before the Court of Appeal.
The Chairman thereafter adjourned the case till 8th of April 2014, as the day's session could not obtain a quorum of the Tribunal's judges.
In the case of Federal Government versus Moses Naomi Lasara, and five others from the services of Gombe State Government for refusing to declare their asset, the prosecuting counsel Abbas Ibrahim announced his appearance, but the case was equally adjourned to 24th of April, 2014. The resumed hearing of 24th April, 2014 is scheduled to hold at the High Court of Bauchi, Bauchi State, as it is the tradition of the Tribunal to hold itinerary session anywhere in the country.