Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, on Tuesday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that he did not award any contract while he was the speaker, contrary to the charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bankole was facing a 16-count criminal charge over alleged contract inflation to the tune of N894 million.
When the matter came up on Tuesday, counsel for Bankole, Chief Adegbo-yega Awomolo, who led three other Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), told the court that he had filed an application, praying it to quash the charge because the facts, as disclosed in the proof of evidence, did not contain the basic elements of the offences charged.
He also prayed the court to disqualify Festus Ke-yamo from prosecuting the matter.
Awomolo further said the applicant was not connected to any act in violation with processing of bids or procurement of all the items, particularly those alleged in the charges.
Bankole had earlier pleaded not guilty to all the 16-count charge and had been admitted to bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety, who must be an owner of a landed property worth the bail sum within the jurisdiction of the court.
Tribune