Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu in court
The Federal Government, for the second time in 48 hours, made a
statement urging the Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate
President Ike Ekweremadu to face their forgery case.
According to the statement, the Federal Government urged the two men to clear their names instead of politicising the matter.
Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina on Monday admonished Saraki and
Ekweremadu to leave President Muhammadu Buhari out of their fate after
Saraki complained that he was being persecuted.
It will be recalled that the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation Babachir David Lawal yesterday said the Senate principal
officers should not give the impression that the case against them is an
Executive versus Legislature war.
The alleged forgery case is not a trial of the Senate or the
National Assembly as a body, but that of Saraki and Ekweremadu, Lawal
said.
But the Senate insisted that the trial is an attempt to intimidate
the lawmakers, overwhelm them and force a change of leadership.
Lawal urged them to allow the judiciary to do its job, saying dragging the National Assembly into it is unwarranted.
In a statement, Lawal said: ”Since the arraignment of the
President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Senator
Ike Ekweremadu, before the Federal High Court on Monday, June 27, 2016,
the two leaders of the Senate, have issued two separate press statements
conveying messages that are far from being complementary to the person
and government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Senator Saraki in his statement clearly insinuated that Mr.
President is not in control of his administration and that a cabal now
runs the federal administration. On the part of Senator Ekweremadu, he
insists that President Buhari is exhibiting dictatorial tendencies that
can derail our democracy.
“From their statements, the two leaders of the Senate also gave
this erroneous impression that by their arraignment, it is the entire
Senate and indeed, the Legislative Arm of Government that is on trial.
“They want the public to believe that their prosecution is
utter disregard by the Executive Arm of government for the
constitutional provisions of separation of powers and that preferring
the forgery case against them is a vendetta exercise.”
"Since the case is in court, he said, the Judiciary should be allowed to do its job.”
He stressed that the case only involves the four accused persons.
Lawal added: “And should not be presented to the unsuspecting public as involving the entire Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The complaint leading to the forgery investigation was reported
to the police by some aggrieved senators who specifically accused
certain persons.
“It is not the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that
is involved and definitely not the House of Representatives. To bring
the National Assembly as a body into this court case is totally
unwarranted. It can only be for other purposes and reasons outside the
investigation and legal proceedings.
“A case of forgery is usually preferred against individuals.
This is not different. As was the case with a former Speaker of the
House of Representatives, who was accused of certificate forgery, what
he did was to resign, honorably. The matter did not even go to court.
“In that particular case, it was never orchestrated as a matter
for the National Assembly. The individual involved did not drag the
entire Legislature into the matter.”
He pointed out that the statements by the Senate President and his Deputy were contradictory.
“While Senator Saraki believes Mr. President has abdicated his
powers and that a cabal is in charge of Federal Administration, Senator
Ekweremadu says President Buhari has become a dictator.
“Our democracy is still evolving and being deepened. The
provisions of the separation of powers are entrenched in our
Constitution and should guide everyone in our conduct. The rule of law
is indeed supreme.
“This particular case is before the judiciary and is not being
decided by the Executive Arm of Government. All that has transpired is
still within the confines of our laws. These are the rights to accuse,
to be investigated and be arraigned before the court.
“To impute other considerations to the process is unfortunate.
We should allow the process to take its course, in consonance with the
dictates of the law and total obeisance to the cardinal democratic
principle of the separation of powers.”
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