Counsel to former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Mr. Adebayo Adelodun, SAN, has questioned the urgency surrounding proceedings in the criminal case instituted by the Kwara State Government against his client, former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and two others.

“My Lord, why the hurry?” Adelodun asked Justice Osuolale Ajayi during an exchange over procedural issues surrounding the proposed arraignment of the defendants.

The exchange followed submissions by prosecution and defence counsel on whether hearing in the matter had formally commenced.

The defence contended that the judge, while delivering his ruling, had touched on issues contained in a pending defence motion that had yet to be determined. Counsel argued that proceeding in that manner would amount to the court overreaching itself.

Following the court’s directive that arraignment should proceed, the defence raised an objection over service of the amended charges.

According to the defence lawyers, the court’s records showed that the amended processes had been served on counsel rather than the defendants personally. They maintained that arraignment should not proceed while the question of proper service remained unresolved.

Justice Ajayi subsequently directed the parties to return that afternoon for his decision.

Questioning the urgency, Adelodun referred to the matter’s history dating back to 2018 and asked what emergency warranted an accelerated determination of the outstanding issues.

The defence also drew the court’s attention to a pending application before the Court of Appeal seeking a stay of proceedings while challenges to the trial court’s jurisdiction were considered.

Those challenges, according to the defence, include whether the judge could preside over both civil and criminal proceedings arising from the same matter.

The lawyers further recalled that Justice Ajayi had previously indicated his willingness to await the appellate court’s ruling on their request for an order directing the parties to maintain the status quo pending determination of the jurisdictional issues.