Soundbites on Saraki’s Trial at the CCT

by Tomisin Yakubu



Pound-for-pound and news-for-news, the Senate President has been in the news recently, owing to the fact that as the head of Nigeria’s legislature, he recently presided over the screening of 36 ministerial nominees submitted by the President, and appointed committee Chairmen to the standing committees of Nigeria’s Upper Legislative Chamber. However, his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has generated a lot of discussion in the public sphere.

Everywhere you turn these days, everyone who is anyone seems to have something to say about Saraki and his trial at the CCT...

 

Legal Experts on Saraki’s Case at the CCT

Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba, on the ruling of the Court of Appeal on Saraki’s case against the CCT:



“I will go with the dissenting voice. Although, I am yet to see the full judgement to be able to give an informed opinion, I will go with the dissenting voice.”



Justice Joseph Ekanem, the dissenting opinion in Saraki’s Court of Appeal case against the CCT, nullified the CCT’s charge against the Senate President on the grounds that there was no evidence before the court that as Deputy Director in the Ministry of Justice, M.S. Hassan, has the authority of either the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) or the Solicitor General of the Federation to file charges at the Code of Conduct Bureau. Ekanem ruling on the Senate President’s case said:



“Where a word is not ambiguous and it is plain and clear as in this case that the proceeding was initiated by Hassan, it should not be difficult to arrive at a conclusion that Section 24 of the CCB and Tribunal Act 2004 had been breached by the said M.S Hassan". – ThisDay, 31st October, 2015

 

Politicians on Saraki’s Case at the CCT

Deputy Leader of the Senate, Ibn Na’Allah, commenting on Saraki’s case had this to say:



“You see, it is a matter of belief and I am going to tell you in very clear language. The belief of the 8th Senate and substantial number of the senators is that the trial of the President of the Senate is persecution rather than prosecution. If it is persecution, we believe that we have a responsibility to stand by him. But if it is prosecution, every senator of the federal republic believes and rightly so, that this government must be given all the necessary assistance it requires to fight corruption.” – Guardian, 6th November, 2015

Comrade Shehu Sani, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, and the Senator representing Kaduna Central (APC) in the 8th National Assembly, commented on the CCT trial of the Senate President saying:

“Saraki is a guinea pig of a conflict of ambition whereby if he wasn’t a senate president, he couldn’t have been in this spot light. And if he is not a threat in the future, he wouldn’t be passing through what he is passing through now... there are puppeteers who feel that pinning him down to a case of corruption will discredit him, will keep him busy and make him unsellable for the future.” – Today.ng, 30th October, 2015



George Sekibo, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, and the Senator representing Rivers East (PDP) in the 8th National Assembly, had this to say on Saraki’s trial:



“The Code of Conduct case is against an individual and not APC. We gave [Saraki] our support in the spirit of espirit de corps.” – TheCable.ng, 30th October, 2015



Additionally, Gershom Bassey, the PDP Senator representing Cross River South in the 8th National Assembly, and the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Upstream Petroleum, said:



“We have had two votes of confidence on [Saraki] and they stand. He has the confidence of the Senate and there is absolutely no problem.” – TheCable.ng, 30th October, 2015



Meanwhile, the immediate past Governor of Sokoto State, and the Senator representing Sokoto North in the 8th National Assembly, Aliyu Wamakko, commented on Saraki’s trial saying that “faceless groups outside the National Assembly” are orchestrating the attempted removal of the Senate President using the CCT. Wamakko further stated that:



“Majority of senators weeks ago passed a vote of confidence in Saraki because they were convinced that his style of leadership has been broad and progress-inclined. Nothing has changed. Majority of our colleagues still believe that Saraki remains a stabilising factor in the Senate for now.” –Naij.com, October 2015

 

Also speaking on the Senate President’s case, the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, following a House Resolution seeking an end to the politically-motivated trial of the Senate President at the CCT, said:



“The little I understand is that there is an issue involving the Senate President. That has nothing to do with the APC. That has to do with the issue of law and I am sure the Senate President is being represented and he will have his day in court.” – Leadership Newspaper, 23rd October, 2015

 

Additionally, the APC Youth Forum (APYF), the youth wing of the ruling party, in a statement credited to three members of its National Working Committee, urged Nigerian institutions to push for the rule of law in Saraki’s case, and commended the Senate President for submitting himself to the law:



“Dr. Saraki has demonstrated by his actions that truly he is committed to the APC ideals of nation-building, the furtherance of the rule of law, and competent governance. By subjecting himself to the judicial process as the Number 3 citizen of the country, the Senate President’s actions have revealed that he has nothing to hide.” – Vanguard, 19th October, 2015.

 



 -Tomisin Yakubu is a freelance writer and journalism student. Contact her at tomi.yakubu@gmail.com -