ridwanomooba:
Saraki Hails Supreme Court Verdict, Says Trial Politically Motivated


Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has reiterated his confidence in the judicial process and the ability of the Judiciary to do justice to all manner of men and in all circumstances.

In a statement personally signed by him after the judgement of the Supreme Court which upheld the earlier decision of the Code of Conduct Tribunal discharging and acquitting him of all 18 charges instituted against him, Saraki expressed gratitude to all Nigerians who have supported him since the case commenced three years ago.

“At the end of a tortuous journey of 1018 Days counting from September 22, 2015 when the case began at the Tribunal, I am happy that I have been vindicated. The Supreme Court has affirmed that there is no evidence of false declaration of assets. The court also observed that certain agents took over the responsibility of the Code of Conduct Bureau in this trial, and one can infer that this was done towards a pre-determined end.

“This outcome has gladdened my heart and further strengthened my belief in this country and as well as my faith in Almighty Allah, who is the righter of all wrongs. God has vindicated me today before the judgement of man, and I am most thankful and humbled at His grace and infinite mercies.

“Through it all, I refused to be shaken, knowing, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, that the arch of the moral universe may be long, but it bends towards justice. I knew the day would come when justice would prevail and I would be exonerated.

“I have always believed in the infallibility of our Judiciary, secure in the knowledge that our courts – the last refuge of the oppressed - would never condemn the innocent. This outcome is also a vindication of my belief in the rule of law.

“As I said in my first appearance at the CCT, this is a politically motivated case. The case was trumped up in the first instance because of my emergence as the President of the Senate against the wishes of certain forces. Ordinarily, I doubt anyone would be interested in the asset declaration form I filled over 15 years ago.

“What we have seen is the opposite. Instead of working together in the interest of the nation and to seek to do better for our people, we are fighting one another and using legal instruments to mount baseless accusations against one another. Instead of exhibiting the need for unity and working day and night for that purpose, we are stoking the fire of division and rancour. I maintain that, above all else, my CCT trial has been a flagrant vilification of my person, and shows that some people are after their personal interests rather than the national interest.

“As a result of the war of attrition, various arms of government have wasted resources needlessly. It has been three wasted years across board in this country. Three years that would have been devoted to tackling issues affecting Nigerians, including: economic recovery, insecurity, youth unemployment and strengthening national institutions – were wasted on malicious prosecution. People were ready to trade off three years that would have been devoted to fostering cooperation, unity and economic progress for their selfish ends. It is my hope that those who are behind my persecution will see the handwriting on the wall and leave me to do the work for which I was elected, so I can continue to give my all to this great country of ours.

“As many have rightly observed, it is plain to see that the anti-corruption fight is being prosecuted with vindictiveness, to target perceived political opponents. I believe in the need to fight corruption, but I will never be party to the selective application of the law or the rhetoric of an insincere anti-corruption fight.

“I believe in fighting corruption and I have made my own humble contributions to the fight against corruption in this country. As a presidential aide, I initiated the process that led to the enactment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. I was the first governor to establish the Price Intelligence Unit which later metamorphosed into the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) at the federal level. In the history of this country, the highest fraud, the most brazen corruption has been the Fuel Subsidy scam. No one wanted to talk about it or confront entrenched powers. As a Senator on the platform of the ruling party at that time, I sponsored a motion on the floor of the Senate calling for investigation that led to the unprecedented exposure of the massive corruption in the fuel subsidy regime. That was my only point of departure with the former President. My antecedents speak for themselves.

“I thank Nigerians for standing by me through the difficult period of this trial. The support of ordinary Nigerians and their faith in me, as well as their sophistication and discernment in seeing this case for what it was, has been a source of strength to me.

“I am most grateful for the support of my Distinguished Colleagues and the Honourable Members of the 8th National Assembly for their unflinching support and regular attendance at the various proceedings. They were unfairly criticised for accompanying me on court appearances, but it is now clear that they did so because they believed that injustice to one, is injustice to all. They have been the true embodiment of esprit de corps. I thank them for banding together in the face of an unconscionable attack on the institution of the legislature.

“I thank my legal team for their determined and principled stance, and for their knowledge and diligence, which saw this case to its just conclusion. My gratitude to all my friends, political associates, supporters and the good people of Kwara State – all of whom have been solidly behind me.

“I thank my family for enduring this trial with their usual grace and fortitude. My immense gratitude also goes to the international community for their interest in this case. The Nigerian press have kept watch and I appreciate their vigilance in ensuring that all the facts were held up to scrutiny.

“To my supporters, yes, there is a reason to rejoice, but our celebration must be tempered with the sobering lessons of the attempted injustice from Day One of this trial. We all have to canvas for fairness in the fight against corruption. We should see this verdict as an inspiration to champion the rule of law, promote democracy and its institutions as well as tolerance of divergent views.

“The overwhelming support of so many, and the insistence on ensuring that due process and truth prevailed, has made this verdict possible,” he stated.


SIGNED:
Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

post=69140641:
We expected this.....
Never a surprise to us......

abimbolabolaw:
As indigene of Ondo State, I have lived in Both Lagos State and Ogun State, also studied at Ekiti State and had Vacation in Oyo state. I watched helplessly of how the South Western part of Nigeria is now turning to a battle ground, courtesy of political thuggery. This is as result of inadequate security and selfishness of some leaders from all political parties. Other contributing factor is the lack of cohesion and understanding among the party supporters. If we allow this barbaric act of unwanted killing and attack on the innocent people in the name of political difference continue, not only it will consume innocent victims but at end the impending crisis will reach to an alarming stage, where nobody will be spared in the state.

Nigeria is one of the countries that has the highest number of political thugs. No statistics is needed to justify this. This is glaring during election periods in the country. Every politician who is influential has his own groups of thugs, he can unleash on his feeble opponent at anytime he desires. Let those who are sponsoring these poor youth into this enmity and discord among our people by giving them drugs and money to take away their mind and sense to be aware that soon their turn will come, as they will face the same treatment. By implication, a large chunk of youth involvement in political violence is attributable to ignorance as study have revealed that unemployment, corruption and bad governance contribute little in explaining youth involvement in political violence in long run.

There are many factors responsible for the involvement of youths in political thuggery today. Parents are no longer committed to the training of their children due to frantic rush to make money and make ends meet. Children are now left to their own while the elders watch helplessly as youths perpetrate all manner of crime. Apart from poor parental care for their children nowadays, the education system has failed monumentally. An educational system that cannot produce self-employed graduates must be basically defective. The government must also shoulder much of the blame for their non-performance over the years, During elections, unscrupulous politicians recruit youths as political thugs to disrupt proceedings and snatch ballot boxes while their own children are writing their semester examinations overseas.

The menace of political thuggery in Nigeria has to be checked in order to have a sustainable democracy that would indeed be a government of the people, for the people and by the people. One sure way to put an end to political thuggery is to ensure as a people that every vote counts. Once the politicians and the electorate are satisfied that their vote counts and is the only means of getting to power, they will not resort to self-help and political violence will disappear. We must put an end to the pervasive influence of money. Politicians should desist from inducing the electorates with money and anyone who engages thugs and hoodlums to win elections should be arrested and prosecuted. I would rest my case with an quote from Mandela "We owe our children – the most vulnerable citizens in any society – a life free from violence and fear. We must address the roots of violence. Thank you for your time.

I am Omosule Abimbola Lawrence, A freelance writer and a Social Analyst. B.Ed (Social Studies Education)

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