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| The Red Chamber |
The Senate on Sunday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the
Attorney-General of the Federation over the proposed prosecution of the
Senate Presiding Officers for forgery in order to avoid anarchy and
constitutional crisis in the country.
The Senate through the Chairman of its Committee on Media and Public
Affairs, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi, described the forgery case instituted
against Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu,
as unconstitutional, and a violation of the principles of separation of
powers, checks and balances.
The AGF’s Office had already instituted a forgery and conspiracy case
against Saraki, Ekweremadu, the immediate past Clerk of the National
Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, and the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Ben
Efeturi, at an Abuja Federal High Court.
But the Senate on Sunday said, “We are compelled to alert the good people of Nigeria and the international community that our democracy is in danger and that the attempt by the Executive Arm of the Federal Government to muzzle the legislature and criminalise legislative processes in order to cause leadership change in the National Assembly is a return to the era of impunity and lack of respect for due process which we all fought to abolish.
“We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to please call his Attorney
General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to order. The
Senate of the Federal Republic voted freely to elect its leadership into
office and continuing attempts to change that leadership through the
wanton abuse of judicial processes cannot stand in the eyes of the
world.
“It is clear that the Attorney General and party leaders behind this
action either lack the understanding of the underlining principles of
constitutional democracy, the concept of Separation of Powers, checks
and balances and parliamentary convention or they just simply do not
care if the present democracy in the country survives or collapses in
their blinded determination to get Saraki and Ekweremadu by all means
necessary, including abuse of office and sacking the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The Nigerian people have enough economic hardship at this time
requiring the full attention and cooperation of the three arms of
government, instead of these attempts to distract and politicise
governance.
“We are in a state of economic emergency such that what the National
Assembly needs at this time are executive bills and proposals aimed at
resolving the crises of unemployment, currency depreciation, inflation,
crime and insecurity.”
“The National Assembly bent backwards to accommodate various
infractions and inefficiencies in pursuit of inter-arms co-operation and
national interest. We did not follow up the various infractions because
we believe there are bigger issues which the government has to attend
to in order to ensure that every Nigerian have food on his table and
live comfortably in a secure environment. We know that the country is
actually in a state of economic emergency and all hands must be on
deck.”
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PLEASE BE POLITE