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| Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki during his ongoing trail on false asset declaration at the code of conduct Tribunal in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan |
The prospects of a prolonged crisis in the Senate was, yesterday, in the
offing following the decision by loyalists of Senate President Bukola Saraki to
sink or swim with him in his continued trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal,
CCT.
The affirmation of the Saraki loyalists is in the wake of agitations by
some senators to give the Senate President a soft landing through a possible
resignation from office in the interest of the legislative body.
Senator
Saraki is currently facing trial at the CCT following a 13-count charge
levelled against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, bordering on alleged
corruption and false declaration of assets.
The contrasting views were
inevitably widening the chasm that preceded the Senate leadership election that
saw the All Progressives Congress, APC senators divide between Senators Saraki
and Ahmad Lawan.
Meanwhile, allies of the Senate President in their response to
the increasing pressure on him to step down, yesterday, vowed to resist the
pressures saying that Saraki would not resign from office. The pro-Saraki
senators met at the Asokoro residence of Senator Magartarkada Wammako, APC,
Sokoto Central and Chairman, Senate Committee on Education. At the end of the
meeting, some of the senators believed the Senate President must continue in
office, stressing that for whatever it was worth, they would continue to stand
firmly behind Saraki and ensure that his Senate Presidency seat was protected.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the senators, Senator Ibrahim Rafiu, APC,
Kwara South and Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other
Financial Institutions, reiterated their earlier stance that Saraki’s trial was
a ‘mere persecution’ and an attempt to tarnish his image in ways not
experienced before.
He said: “We have since discovered that the trial of the
Senate President is a mere attempt to blackmail him and make him look bad in
the court of public opinion. No more, no less.
A dispassionate analysis of the
proceedings at the CCT, yesterday, has pointed to the fact that the APC-led
executive is still embittered against Dr. Saraki over the manner of his
election as Senate President.
“This is why we are standing for the Senate
President and we will so do till the very end. We are doing this not for him but
for the institution of the Senate that he eminently represents. We will never
allow any arm of government to rubbish the cherished autonomy of the Senate.”
Commenting on the calls in some quarters that the Senate President should
resign from his position, the senators insisted that the calls were borne out
of ignorance and pure hatred, describing such calls as ‘wicked and unfounded.’
“For those calling for the impeachment of the Senate President, we urge them to
avail themselves of the provisions of the law relating to such a sensitive
step.
“As far as we are concerned, there is nothing like that on the table, and
if anybody is trying to import that from outside of the Senate, God help them.
“All I know is that they will have to produce as many as a 100 senators to
achieve that aim. As long as they don’t have the majority, the call is a tall
dream that will remain a figment of the imagination of the groups and their
sponsors,” the senators said.
Both the
Senate Unity Forum, SUF and the Likemind Senators of the APC, may be returning
to their battle moods ahead of another potential face off.
The SUF was a
political pressure group formed to support Senator Ahmed Lawan, APC, Yobe North
for the position of Senate President, while Likemind Senators was a
pro-Saraki’s group.
According to a source, the senators are divided as to
whether Senate President should step down or not.
While some of the senators
are pushing for his resignation to save the image of the Senate which they see as
already being rubbished before the public and the international community,
others are of the view that he should remain till the end of the case.
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PLEASE BE POLITE