By Adesina Soyooye
A Federal High Court, Lagos Division, has slated June 2, to hear the case in the battle to release former Governor of Abia State, and Senate Chief Whip, Chief Orji Kalu from jail.
Kalu and the Director of Accounts, Government House, Abia, while he was Governor, Jonnes Udeogu, were on December 5, 2019, sentenced to 12 years and 10 years jail terms respectively by the Hon.Justice Mohammed Idris in a case brought against both men by the EFCC.
The EFCC had accused them of fraud and corruption to the tune of N7.1billion.
But penultimate week, a seven-man panel of the Supreme Court quashed the sentence for lack of jurisdiction in a case brought by Udeogu.
Udeogu had argued that Idris, having been elevated to the Court of Appeal, no longer had the jurisdiction in the case. The Justices of the Supreme Court agreed with him.
Kalu, as did his family, friends and associates had celeberated the judgement, thinking it also affected him. But he filed no case before the Supreme Court, and so did not from the ruling. Only Udeogu who filed the case benefited from it.
Kalu remains in jail against his expectations.
On Wednesday, he filed a case at the Federal High Court, Lagos, before Justice Mohammed Lima, seeking his release, and describing his continuous stay in jail as an illegal detention.
An array of 12 Counsels, including six SANs, will argue his case on June 2.
Pundits say he is, most likely, to be released, given that the Supreme Court has declared Justice Idris’ judgement, null, void, and, therefore, of no effect.
