Posted on: 11:21 Mon, 08 Feb 2016



The Senate has come out in defence of its
President, Dr. Bukola Saraki against the request
made on him by some members to step down in
view of the Supreme Court sanctioned
continuation of the Senate President’s trial at
the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, over assets
falsification charges. It maintained that Saraki
cannot be asked to resign as his trial is “simply
a case of political vendetta”.

It would be recalled that Supreme Court had last
Friday ruled that Saraki must continue facing his
trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.
Shortly afterwards, some anti-Saraki senators,
under the umbrella of the Senate Unity Forum,
SUF, called for his resignation as Senate
President so as not to undermine the integrity
of the upper legislative chamber.

The group, while insisting that a person
answering to criminal should not be allowed to
lead the Senate, called for his resignation from
the Office of the Senate President so that he
could concentrate on his trial at the CCT.

But reacting in a statement issued on Monday,
the Chairman Senate Committee on Media and
Public Affairs, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi explained
that after some Senators met in Abuja on
Sunday and held wide consultations with their
colleagues, reviewing the decision of the
Supreme Court in the appeal on preliminary
matters filed by Saraki on the charges he is
facing at the CCT, they resolved that all calls
for Saraki’s resignation were in bad faith and
must be disregarded.

While cautioning against all forms of distraction
of the upper chamber particularly when it is
trying to pass the 2016 budget, Abdullahi
declared that the Senate under Saraki has
achieved some level of stability and advised the
general public to ignore the few Senators
agitating for the Senate President’s removal as
they were only doing the wish of their
paymasters.

According to the statement, ”right from the
beginning of the trial last September, we have
declared that this case is not about any fight
against corruption. It is simply a case of
political vendetta.

”Our position remains the same. We still believe
that the case is politically motivated.

”We also noted that the decision of the
Supreme Court given last Friday was on
preliminary matters arising from the
commencement of the trial. The trial proper is
yet to begin. And since the fundamental
principle in our legal system is that a defendant
is deemed innocent until proven guilty, we have
decided to patiently observe the proceedings
until the case runs its full circle in the nation’s
final judicial forum.

”It is on this ground that we want to state
categorically that there is no basis for the call
on the Senate President to resign until after the
matter is decided in that final judicial forum.

Such a call at this time is premature,
mischievous and unwarranted.

”We therefore reiterate our support for Senator
Abubakar Bukola Saraki as the President of the
Senate. We stand by him as he goes through
the trial at the CCT where we believe he will be
able to prove his innocence.

”We also call on members of the public to
ignore the rantings of a few Senators who
having failed to get the wish of their sponsors
done on the floor of the Senate are now
launching media campaign against the
leadership of the Senate.

”We want members of the public to know that
the Senate under Dr. Saraki has achieved
stability in the legislative institution and we do
not need any negative distraction at this point.

”The focus of the Senate is on the objective
consideration and timely passage of the 2016
budget and we will want all Nigerians to support
us as we concentrate on this important
assignment.

”We also want to say that we will not make any
further statement on this case until the matter
has been decided in the final judicial forum.”