The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the suit filed by 16 states challenging the constitutionality of the laws establishing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and two others to a date to be communicated to the parties.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Imo, Bauchi, and Osun states joined the suit as co-plaintiffs while Anambra, Ebonyi, and Adamawa states announced their decisions to withdraw their suits.
The trio’s suits were struck out, accordingly, by the court.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) who was present in court as the defendant, had craved the court’s indulgence to take the process they filed on Tuesday morning.
Justice Uwani Abba-Aji thereby granted leave to the defendant to use the reply on point of law filed on Tuesday.
The calls for the scrapping of the agency have continued to trigger debates among stakeholders.
However, the agency accused the governors of trying to derail the EFCC’s efforts at combating corruption which has continued to become a huge issue in Nigeria.
The Director of Public Affairs in the EFCC Wilson Uwujaren says the push for the scrapping of the agency is because governors are “feeling the heat” of the anti-graft body’s work.
According to him, if the agency is scrapped, Nigeria cannot survive.
“We are really shocked by what is happening,” Uwujaren said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s breakfast show The Morning Brief.
“Nigerians should see through this shenanigan and oppose it because I don’t see how this country can survive without the EFCC with the kind of corruption problem that we have. Nigeria cannot do without the EFCC.”