Senate President, Bukola Saraki
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Monday cried out after
alleging that a powerful cabal within the President Muhammadu Buhari’s
government had hijacked power from the retired general.
However, the Presidency has said Saraki’s claim was not only
ridiculous and baseless since it was not backed by facts and detailed
information. Saraki who is being prosecuted along with his Deputy Ike
Ekweremadu and others over alleged forgery of Senate rules and procedures were docked yesterday in court and granted bail.
In a statement, Saraki alleged that powerful forces in Buhari's
administration is bent on humiliating him. He however reiterated his
innocence in the charges preferred against him and swore that he will
fight on at the Court.
He also vowed to use all legal means available to resist any
attempt by forces within the Buhari’s government to persecute him for
upholding his fundamental rights. The Senate President expressed his
willingness to go to jail instead of succumbing to the agenda of the
cabal in the Buhari’s government.
He said, “What has become clear is that there is now a
government within the government of President Buhari, who have seized
the apparatus of executive powers to pursue their nefarious agenda.
“This latest onslaught on the legislature represents a clear
and present danger to the democracy Nigerians fought hard to win and
preserve.
“The suit filed on behalf of the Federal Government suggests
that perhaps some forces in the Federal Republic have not fully embraced
the fact that the Senate’s rules and procedures govern how the
legislative body adjudicates and resolves its own disputes.
“Let it be abundantly clear, both as a citizen and as a
foremost legislator, I will continue to rise above all the persecution
and distraction that have been visited on me.
“Without doubt, the highest of those responsibilities is the
steadfast refusal to surrender to the subversion of our democracy and
the desecration of the Senate. This is a cross I am prepared to carry.
“If (my not) yielding to the nefarious agenda of a few
individuals, who are bent on undermining our democracy and destabilising
the Federal Government to satisfy their selfish interests is the
alternative to losing my personal freedom, let the doors of jails be
thrown open and I shall be a happy guest.
“In the words of Martin Luther King Junior, ‘The ultimate
measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and
convenience but where he stands at a time of challenge and
controversy’.”
Speaking further, Saraki said: “In our view, the charges filed
by the Attorney General represent a violation of the principle of the
Separation of Powers between the Executive Branch and the Legislative
Branch as enshrined in our Constitution.
“Furthermore, it is farcical to allege that a criminal act
occurred during Senate’s procedural actions and the mere suggestion
demonstrates a desperate overreach by the office of the Attorney
General.
“These trump-up charges are only another phase in the
relentless persecution of the leadership of the Senate. This misguided
action by the Attorney General begs the question, how does this promote
the public interest and benefit the nation?”
He lamented that the current distractions were happening at a time
when both the legislature and the executive arm of government should be
working together to meet Nigeria’s many challenges.
Saraki said, “We are once again distracted by the Executive Branch’s inability to move beyond a leadership election among Senate peers.”
“It was not an election of Senate peers and Executive Branch
participants. Over the past year, the Senate has worked to foster good
relations with the Executive Branch. It is in all of our collective
interests to put aside divisions and get on with the nation’s business.”
Ekweremadu, in a statement signed by him in Abuja, said that
vindictiveness and arrogance should not find a place in the nation’s
democracy. He said, “It is deeply troubling to note that people in
high places, who swore to uphold the law, have dwindled into purveyors
of falsehood and rumour, who seek to smear and tarnish the reputation of
law-abiding and responsible citizens as well as cripple the hallowed
institutions of democracy.”
According to him, he decided to present himself to the FCT High
Court on Monday as an ordinary citizen to plead “not guilty” to charges
he did not commit.
He said, “It is all the more disheartening that people, who
should know better, use the colour of their office to pursue private
vendetta against people they disagree with.
“This grotesque display of vindictiveness, arrogance and
mindless targeting of innocent citizens should find no sanctuary in our
democracy.
“Using the machinery of justice to create disorder is a
dangerous and an invidious scheme that ultimately will lead Nigeria down
the road to perdition.
“It is Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu today. Who knows whose turn it will be next?”
Reacting to Saraki's allegation that powerful forces have hijacked
Buhari's government, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Monday challenged Saraki to name the
forces. He called Saraki's allegation as something not worth the paper
on which it was written.
The statement read, “But as it stands, the allegation is not
even worth the paper on which it was written, as anybody can wake from a
troubled sleep and say anything.
The Attorney General of the Federation is the Chief Law Officer
of the country. It is within his constitutional powers to determine
who has infringed upon the law and who has not.
“Pretending to carry an imaginary cross is mere obfuscation, if
indeed, a criminal act has been committed. But we leave the courts to
judge.
“To claim that President Muhammadu Buhari is anybody’s stooge
is not only ridiculous but also preposterous. It is not in the character
of our President.”
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