Following his cases in several courts, the Senate
President, Bukola Saraki has insisted that he would
rather go to jail than yield to some nefarious agenda
of a few individuals who are out to destroy
democracy.
President, Bukola Saraki has insisted that he would
rather go to jail than yield to some nefarious agenda
of a few individuals who are out to destroy
democracy.
Saraki said this in a statement he issued shortly
after he appeared at a Federal High Court in Abuja
alongside three others for alleged forgery of senate
rules.
The Senate President who is also facing criminal
trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, for false
assets declaration described his latest legal battle
as proof of the “persecution and distraction” he is
currently enmeshed in.
The statement reads, “Today we the leaders of the
Nigerian Senate reiterate our innocence against the
charges filed by the Attorney General of the Federal
Government of Nigeria at the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) High Court on the allegations of
forgery of the Senate Standing Rules document.
“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 procedural
actions and the mere suggestion demonstrates a
desperate overreach by the office of the Attorney
General. These trumped up charges is 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? At a time
when the whole of government should be working
together to meet Nigeria’s many challenges, 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. We risk
alienating and losing the support of the very people
who have entrusted their national leaders to seek
new and creative ways to promote a secure and
prosperous Nigeria. As leaders and patriots, it is
time to rise above partisanship and to move forward
together.”
Saraki stated that a nefarious group within the
government of President Buhari have seized the
apparatus of Executive powers to pursue their
selfish 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,” he
said.
The Senate President maintained that he would
continue to rise above all persecutions and
distractions.
“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. 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”.
“I will remain true and committed to the
responsibilities that my citizenship and my office
impose 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 yielding
to the nefarious agenda of a few individuals who are
bent in 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,” Saraki added.
