Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed Friday 27 November to deliver a ruling on the bail application for Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, who was remanded owing to his failure to produce Abdulrasheed Maina for whom he is a surety.

Galaxy's Godfrey Eshiemoghie reports that the main thrust of the bail application is for the leave of court to grant Ndume bail pending the determination of the appeal filed at the Appellate Court challenging the order for forfeiture made on 23 November.

Marcel Oru, lawyer to Ndume, in his bail application, sought leave of the court to grant his client bail after describing as 'despicable' the action of the former boss of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.

Citing section 179 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, Oru submitted that the undertaking sworn by his client in the affidavit is for that agreeing to forfeit the bail bond of N500million in the event of jumping bail.

The lawyer equally noted that the forfeiture proceedings were not completed before the Court order remanding Ndume, describing it a breach of his client's right to a fair hearing.

He dismissed the notion by the prosecution that granting the application will amount to having the trial court appeal its own decision on a matter that has headed to the appeal court.

Oru stated that since the record of proceedings, as well as the notice of appeal, is yet to be transmitted to the Appellate Court, the trial court still has jurisdiction to rule on the bail application.