The Federal Government has urged Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to face their forgery case and clear their names instead of politicising the matter.
Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina on Monday admonished Saraki and Ekweremadu to leave President Muhammadu Buhari out of their fate after Saraki complained that he was being persecuted.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir David Lawal yesterday said the Senate principal officers should not give the impression that the case against them is an Executive versus Legislature war.
The alleged forgery case is not a trial of the Senate or the National Assembly as a body, but that of Saraki and Ekweremadu, Lawal said.
But the Senate insisted that the trial is an attempt to intimidate the lawmakers, overwhelm them and force a change of leadership.
Lawal urged them to allow the judiciary to do its job, saying dragging the National Assembly into it is unwarranted.
In a statement, Lawal said: ”Since the arraignment of the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, before the Federal High Court on Monday, June 27, 2016, the two leaders of the Senate, have issued two separate press statements conveying messages that are far from being complementary to the person and government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Senator Saraki in his statement clearly insinuated that Mr. President is not in control of his administration and that a cabal now runs the federal administration. On the part of Senator Ekweremadu, he insists that President Buhari is exhibiting dictatorial tendencies that can derail our democracy.
“From their statements, the two leaders of the Senate also gave this erroneous impression that by their arraignment, it is the entire Senate and indeed, the Legislative Arm of Government that is on trial.
“They want the public to believe that their prosecution is utter disregard by the Executive Arm of government for the constitutional provisions of separation of powers and that preferring the forgery case against them is a vendetta exercise.”
Since the case is in court, he said, the Judiciary should be allowed to do its job.”
He stressed that the case only involves the four accused persons.
Lawal added: “And should not be presented to the unsuspecting public as involving the entire Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The complaint leading to the forgery investigation was reported to the police by some aggrieved senators who specifically accused certain persons.
“It is not the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is involved and definitely not the House of Representatives. To bring the National Assembly as a body into this court case is totally unwarranted. It can only be for other purposes and reasons outside the investigation and legal proceedings.
“A case of forgery is usually preferred against individuals. This is not different. As was the case with a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was accused of certificate forgery, what he did was to resign, honorably. The matter did not even go to court.
“In that particular case, it was never orchestrated as a matter for the National Assembly. The individual involved did not drag the entire Legislature into the matter.”
He pointed out that the statements by the Senate President and his Deputy were contradictory.
“While Senator Saraki believes Mr. President has abdicated his powers and that a cabal is in charge of Federal Administration, Senator Ekweremadu says President Buhari has become a dictator.
“Our democracy is still evolving and being deepened. The provisions of the separation of powers are entrenched in our Constitution and should guide everyone in our conduct. The rule of law is indeed supreme.
“This particular case is before the judiciary and is not being decided by the Executive Arm of Government. All that has transpired is still within the confines of our laws. These are the rights to accuse, to be investigated and be arraigned before the court.
“To impute other considerations to the process is unfortunate. We should allow the process to take its course, in consonance with the dictates of the law and total obeisance to the cardinal democratic principle of the separation of powers.”
It's obvious that the Executive arm of the government is not involve in the process of petition written,investigation processed,neither arraignment of the Senate President or his Deputy. The petition was instituted by some aggrieved members of the Senate. If Saraki and Ekweremadu have any grudge at all,it should be directed to those that wrote the petition.
ReplyDeleteIf you believe what you just wrote,thateans you are the dumbest person on planet earth..
DeleteIt is not Buhari that filed a petition against them, it is not Buhari that the petition was addressed to, it is not Buhari that investigated the petition, it is not Buhari that has charged them to court, yet they are accusing Buhari of everything under the sun! How the heck are these people representing us in the senate? With this sort of mentality?
ReplyDeleteThe senate President Saraki and his deputy Ekweremadu are two desperate individuals who will prefer to pull the entire Senate down with them, instead of taking their defense to the courts. Let us put the case in proper perspective first. It is no secrete that some aggrieved members of the Senate were the ones who petitioned the Police (Inspector General) regarding this forgery issue and the police in turn commenced investigation on the case. The IG after the completion of investigation then sent the results to the office of the Attorney General Office for prosecution (Recall that the Attorney General/Minister of Justice was not even appointed yet when this forgery issue started many months ago, so for Saraki and Ekweremadu to accuse the Attorney General of witch-hunting is false and has no bases). The Attorney General (After his appointment and swearing in to office) who is vested with the powers of prosecution then charge these men to court to answer and clear their names on the forgery case.
ReplyDeleteHowever, instead of Saraki and Ekweremadu to go to the courts like gentlemen and defend themselves, these two senators have been throwing accusation everywhere. Going back into the history of the senate, this is not the first time a Senate President or Speaker has been accused for one offense or the other and they did not drag the entire Senate down with them, we recall previous Senate President Evan(s) Enwerem, Chuka Okadigbo, Adolphus Wabara who were impeached on corruption allegation, except of course Senator Ken Nnamani and David Mark who completed their various terms did not drag down the entire Senate and National Assembly with them when they were charged.
Both Senators have clearly shown that they lack the civility and maturity in holding the esteemed positions both occupy, judging by their behaviors and utterances so far. With the accusation and summoning of the Attorney general to the National Assembly (This is an irony as the Senate president is guilty of what he is accusing the Executive, that there is separation of powers, but still went on to summon the attorney general who is part of the Judiciary and an independent arm of government to come and explain to him why he has been charged to court).
It is no secrete that both Saraki and Ekweremadu are direct beneficiaries of the forged standing rules of the senate and should go and have their defense in the courts instead of introducing political (as in Saraki who has made accusations that there is a govt within a govt in Buhari’s administration and that Buhari is no more in charge) and tribal (as in Ekweremadu adorning full Igbo regalia to court to denote persecution of the Igbos and connoting a tribal coloration and we saw the same thing happen with Olisa Metuh). These distractions will in no way help their case as Nigerians are only interested in the application of the law equally to every citizen whether a common man of the street or the person of Saraki and Ekweremadu (Senate President and Deputy).
The senate President Saraki and his deputy Ekweremadu are two desperate individuals who will prefer to pull the entire Senate down with them, instead of taking their defense to the courts. Let us put the case in proper perspective first. It is no secrete that some aggrieved members of the Senate were the ones who petitioned the Police (Inspector General) regarding this forgery issue and the police in turn commenced investigation on the case. The IG after the completion of investigation then sent the results to the office of the Attorney General Office for prosecution (Recall that the Attorney General/Minister of Justice was not even appointed yet when this forgery issue started many months ago, so for Saraki and Ekweremadu to accuse the Attorney General of witch-hunting is false and has no bases). The Attorney General (After his appointment and swearing in to office) who is vested with the powers of prosecution then charge these men to court to answer and clear their names on the forgery case.
ReplyDeleteHowever, instead of Saraki and Ekweremadu to go to the courts like gentlemen and defend themselves, these two senators have been throwing accusation everywhere. Going back into the history of the senate, this is not the first time a Senate President or Speaker has been accused for one offense or the other and they did not drag the entire Senate down with them, we recall previous Senate President Evan(s) Enwerem, Chuka Okadigbo, Adolphus Wabara who were impeached on corruption allegation, except of course Senator Ken Nnamani and David Mark who completed their various terms did not drag down the entire Senate and National Assembly with them when they were charged.
Both Senators have clearly shown that they lack the civility and maturity in holding the esteemed positions both occupy, judging by their behaviors and utterances so far. With the accusation and summoning of the Attorney general to the National Assembly (This is an irony as the Senate president is guilty of what he is accusing the Executive, that there is separation of powers, but still went on to summon the attorney general who is part of the Judiciary and an independent arm of government to come and explain to him why he has been charged to court).
It is no secrete that both Saraki and Ekweremadu are direct beneficiaries of the forged standing rules of the senate and should go and have their defense in the courts instead of introducing political (as in Saraki who has made accusations that there is a govt within a govt in Buhari’s administration and that Buhari is no more in charge) and tribal (as in Ekweremadu adorning full Igbo regalia to court to denote persecution of the Igbos and connoting a tribal coloration and we saw the same thing happen with Olisa Metuh). These distractions will in no way help their case as Nigerians are only interested in the application of the law equally to every citizen whether a common man of the street or the person of Saraki and Ekweremadu (Senate President and Deputy).
Thank you sir. El Matowsky, Prince Nwoye and Mr Mike where are you ?
DeleteMr long talk,which Senate order was used in the screening of the ministers...
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