Senate President, Bukola Saraki at his arraignment at the Federal High Court |
The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said he was ready to
lose his freedom to entrench democracy and stabilise governance in the
country.
This is contained in a statement signed by him and issued on Monday in Abuja.
Saraki was reacting to the trial of the leadership of the Senate, which began on Monday, over alleged forgery of the 2015 Senate Standing Orders.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a Federal High Court in
Abuja granted bail to Mr. Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and two
others over the alleged forgery.
He said the trial was an onslaught on the legislature, adding that it
posed a great danger to the democracy Nigerians fought hard to win and
preserve.
“The suit 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 clear, 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,’’ he said.
“If yielding (unyielding) 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 alternative
to losing my personal freedom, let the doors of jails be thrown open.
“I shall be a happy guest,’’ Mr. Saraki added.
He said that the charges against him and the Deputy President of the
Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, were violation of the principle of separation of
powers.
“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 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?
“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,’’ he said.
Mr. Saraki said the senate had worked to foster good relations with
the executive branch in the past years, adding that it was in their
collective interest to put aside divisions and move on with the nation’s
business.
He stressed that the leadership risked losing support of the people,
who had entrusted it with the responsibility of seeking new and creative
ways to promoting a secured and prosperous Nigeria.
According to him, it is time to rise above partisanship and to move forward together.
(NAN)
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