Senate Disagrees With SGF, Says Petitioner Never Mentioned Saraki,Ekwerenadu In Their Report



The Nigerian Senate through the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi has again reacted to the comment made by the Secretary-General of the Federation, Babachir Lawal over the alleged Senate forgery case.

Babachir Lawal maintains that the Senate as an institution was not on trial but its leaders’ – Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu. The statement credited to the SGF read: ‘’….a case of forgery is usually preferred against individuals. This 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 honourably and the matter didn’t go to court’

Responding to the new twist, the Senate disagrees with him on this position and maintained their earlier stand that it is the Senate that is the target of the present attempt to intimidate the legislature to force a leadership change in the Senate.

‘’Mr. Babachir Lawal should tell us how reasonable it is to conclude that when the President of Nigeria and the Vice President are being jointly tried in a suit whose outcome can remove them from office, it is not the Buhari Government that is being targeted.

It is also imperative to clearly state that contrary to the claim by the SGF, neither the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki nor Senator Ike Ekweremadu were mentioned by the petitioners, the statements by those interviewed by the police or even the police report’’ The Statement read.

The Senate further argues that the case of the former House of Rep speaker’s result forgery as cited by the SGF was not applicable in this regard:

‘’Let us refreshen Mr. Lawal’s memory about the facts of the 1999 case. It is obvious that the Senate President and his deputy are not being accused of certificate forgery as it happened in ex-Speaker Salisu Buhari’s case. Therefore, nobody should compare an apple with orange. Also, neither Saraki nor Ekweremadu is below the age requirement for their present position as it was alleged in the Buhari case. Attempts to make the two situations look similar is to present all Nigerians as having no sense of history.

We also know that nobody can be accused of forging his own signature. The executive is in no position to determine what is the correct Standing Orders of the Senate. The Senate President and his Deputy were as at the morning of the June 9, 2015 inauguration of the Senate mere Senators-elect and could therefore not have been in a position to influence any alteration in the rule book.

The Senate as an institution, and indeed the National Assembly, has spoken about their understanding of the present assault on their independence by the executive’. We maintain that this trial is a design by the Executive to criminalize the internal affairs of the Senate to create a distraction for the leadership of the Senate, force a leadership change and cow the legislators. It said.

Finally, the Senate advised those behind the plot to remove its leadership to channel their energy on more important things like finding tangible solutions to the multi-various socio-economic problems bedeviling the country. They urged the judiciary to credibly perform its duties and give independent verdict on the case.

Ok

SFG must be high to suggest that Saraki and Ekweremadu should resign because of an alleged forgery case against them. He would have had a point if he had suggested that Buhari should also resign for alleged certificate forgery and perjury case against him. They want others to be selfless and upright but not themselves.

We'll take you serious when we see a source...

An unrepentant tyrant

Cow government!