₦airaland Forum

1. After reading in the national newspapers and online platforms of the planned charges of forgery and conspiracy preferred against the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, immediate past Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Ben Efeturi and reviewing the circumstances leading to the filing of these charges, 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.



2. 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.

3. 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. What the National Assembly needs now are executive bills to build and strengthen institutions to earn revenues, fight corruption and eliminate waste. Instead, we are getting hostile actions aimed at destabilising the National Assembly, distracting Senators from their oversight functions and ensuring good and accountable governance.

4. We must make it clear here to the individuals in the Executive arm and party leadership behind these plots not to mistake the maturity and hand of co-operation being extended to the Presidency by the legislature as a sign of weakness. 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 confortably in a secure environment. We know that the country is actually in a state of economic emergency and all hands must be on deck.

5. This latest plot is directed at forcing a change of leadership in the Senate or, in the extreme case, ground the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. Or how do one interpret a move in which the two presiding officers are being set up to be remanded in Kuje Prison or incapacitated from sitting at plenary through a day-to-day trial on a matter that is purely an internal affair of the Senate.

6. This obviously is a dangerous case of violation of the independence of the legislature, undue and unnecessary interference in the internal affairs of the Senate and blatant abuse of the judicial process. The matter now being criminalised was brought to the plenary of the Senate in session, over a year ago. And because it had no support, it was overruled and roundly defeated in chambers. To now take a matter that was resolved on the floor of the Senate to the police and then make it form the subject of a criminal prosecution of freely elected legislators beats all imagination of free thinking men all over the world. The implication is that any matter that fails on the floor of the National Assembly will now be taken to the Police, thereby endangering every Senator and House member. This current move clearly runs contrary to the Doctrine of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances which are fundamental to the successful operation of the Presidential System of government. It runs counter to the principle outlined by the Supreme Court in the Adesanya Vs Senate case where it was held that nobody should seek to use the courts to achieve what he or she has failed to push through on the floor of the National Assembly.

7. This present efforts, therefore, is clearly a coup against the legislature with the ignoble aim to undermine its independence and subject the law making institution to the whims and caprices of the executive. It is a plan to return Nigeria to the dictatorial era which we have, as a nation, voted to reject. It is a dangerous trend with grave implications for the survival of our democracy and the integrity of the component institutions. This rule of men as against the rule of law is also the reason why the War Against Corruption, one of the cardinal objectives of the present administration, is losing credibility because people perceive it to be selective and, in most cases, aimed at settling political or partisan scores.

8. The Rules of the Senate and how the institution elects its leadership are internal affairs. The Rules of a new Senate are provided by the National Assembly bureaucracy. It has always been so since 1999. After the inauguration of the Senate, if Senators have objections to any part of the Rules, they can follow the procedure for changing it. Senators of the Eighth Senate have no control on the rules applied in the elections of June 9, 2015 because until after their inauguration, they were only Senators-elect, and therefore mere bystanders in the affairs of the Senate.

9. We therefore urge all Nigerians and the International Community to rise up and condemn this blatant attempt to subject the legislature to the control, whims and caprices of the executive. If the Legislative branch falls, democracy fails as there will be no other institution empowered by the Constitution to check and balance the enormous powers of the Executive branch. We also call on the judiciary as the last hope to save our constitutional democracy and stand up for the rule of law, by doing that which is right in this case.

SARAKI CAN'T GET JUSTICE FROM YOU......Lawyer tells CCT Chairman……..Ruling on Motion July 13

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mr. Paul Erokoro today told the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal Mr. Danladi Umar that the Senate president standing trial before him on false assets declaration cannot get justice from him because of his biased and prejudicial comments in the trial.

Erokoro while moving an application filed by Saraki asked the CCT chairman to disqualify himself from further participating in the trial because of his biased disposition.

The CCT chairman had on June 7 threatened Saraki that the delayed tactics being employed by his lawyers will not reduce the consequences he would face at the end of the trial.

In his submissions on the motion on notice, Erokoro, claimed that the comment by the chairman was prejudicial to Saraki and that Saraki can no longer get fair trial from the Tribunal in line with the provision of section 36 of the 1999 constitution.

The counsel told the Tribunal that neither the chairman who was personally served with the motion on notice informing him of the prejudicial statement made in the open court on June 7 did not deny the statement either the prosecution too.

Erokoro further submitted that by implication, the CCT chairman and the prosecution have implicitly admitted making the statement and as such, the chairman should disqualify himself in the interest of justice and fair trial.

He further submitted that the Independence and the impartiality of the chairman as envisaged in section 36 of the constitution can no longer be guaranteed and that a good reason for the CCT chairman to disqualify himself from the trial had already been established and that he will not be able to balance the scale of justice.

"Once a Judge by word or action show that he cannot hold the scale of justice, he should disqualify himself" he said.

When asked on what happens to the Tribunal should the chairman disqualify himself, Erokoro said that there is a statutory provisions for the establishment of the Tribunal with a full complement of three members and that the appointing authority can do the needful by appointing more.

Saraki had in the motion specifically demanded for the removal of Umar from the panel of the tribunal that will prosecute because of the open threat of Umar to unleash the full weight of the law on him at the end of his trial for the sins of his lawyers.

Saraki claimed that the threat made by Umar in the open court was a clear indication that the tribunal had made up its mind to convict him at all cost irrespective of the evidence at the trial.

The Senate President has therefore asked the CCT Chairman to disqualify himself from further participation in the trial initiated against Saraki by the Federal Government.

In a fresh motion on notice brought pursuant to section 36 of the 1999 constitution, Saraki insisted that the tribunal chairman was in a worry to convict him without giving him a fair hearing or fair opportunity to defend himself.

In the motion filed by his lead Mr Kanu Agabi (SAN), Saraki stated that the threat by the CCT chairman was biased and cannot accord him a fair trial.

The motion predicated on eight grounds indicated that the threat of consequences issued by Umar has caused Saraki to lose confidence in the impartiality of the chairman and he is no longer confident that he can get justice from the tribunal if the chairman continues to participate in the hearing and the determination of the case against him.

Part of the grounds of the motion was that the defendant has lost confidence in the ability of the tribunal chairman to conduct a fair trial and dispense justice according the law.

The defendant is deeply worried and now lives in perpetual fear since the statement was made by the Chairman of the tribunal and no longer believes that Justice can be done in the trial.

Saraki denied the allegation by the CCT Chairman his lawyers have been employing delay tactics to frustrate the trial.


However, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacob SAN in his vehement opposition to the motion said that the application was frivolous, and was an abuse of court process and a deliberate attempt to delay the trial.

Apparently justifying the alleged prejudicial comment of the CCT chairman, Rotimi claimed that it was true that the trial was being delayed by the defence and that the chairman only warned Saraki on the consequences of the trial and not the consequences of the charge.

He also said that Saraki had filed similar applications before asking for the same prayers and that since appeal on the earlier ones are still pending before the appellate court, the Tribunal should resist the temptation to do the statutory job on the Appeal Court.

Meanwhile ruling on the application has been fixed for July 13, 2016.

CCT

Fresh crisis brews as Senate accuses Buhari administration of plot to remove Saraki, Ekweremadu
June 19, 2016Hassan Adebayo
The Nigerian Senate
RELATED NEWS

The Nigerian Senate has accused the Buhari administration of plotting to muzzle the legislature and criminalise legislative processes. The upper chamber said the plot was to cause a leadership change in the National Assembly.
The senate’s stance followed criminal charges of forgery slammed on Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, by the Federal Government.
“(This) is a return to the era of impunity and lack of respect for due process which we all fought to abolish,” the Senate said in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Aliyu Sabi, on Sunday.
Also charged alongside the two presiding officers are former Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasu, and his deputy, Benedict Efeturi.
The four are accused of conspiracy and forgery of Senate Standing Rules that brought Messrs. Saraki and Ekweremadu to office last year.
The suit was filed on June 10, almost a year after Suleiman Hunkuyi, secretary of anti-Saraki Unity Forum, petitioned the Inspector General of Police, demanding criminal investigation into allegation of forgery of Senate Rules used for the elections of the presiding officers last year, June 9.
Earlier, in a statement, Mr. Ekweremadu stressed neither he nor Mr. Saraki was invited for interrogation by the Police or indicted in its July 2015 report to the Attorney-General of the Federation. He queried the basis for the fresh charges filed.
Read the full statement by the Senate:

1. After reading in the national newspapers and online platforms of the planned charges of forgery and conspiracy preferred against the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, immediate past Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Ben Efeturi and reviewing the circumstances leading to the filing of these charges, 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.
2. 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.
3. 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. What the National Assembly needs now are executive bills to build and strengthen institutions to earn revenues, fight corruption and eliminate waste. Instead, we are getting hostile actions aimed at destabilising the National Assembly, distracting Senators from their oversight functions and ensuring good and accountable governance.
4. We must make it clear here to the individuals in the Executive arm and party leadership behind these plots not to mistake the maturity and hand of co-operation being extended to the Presidency by the legislature as a sign of weakness.
5. This latest plot is directed at forcing a change of leadership in the Senate or, in the extreme case, ground the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. Or how do one interpret a move in which the two presiding officers are being set up to be remanded in Kuje Prison or incapacitated from sitting at plenary through a day-to-day trial on a matter that is purely an internal affair of the Senate.
6. This obviously is a dangerous case of violation of the independence of the legislature, undue and unnecessary interference in the internal affairs of the Senate and blatant abuse of the judicial process. The matter now being criminalised was brought to the plenary of the Senate in session, over a year ago. And because it had no support, it was overruled and roundly defeated in chambers. To now take a matter that was resolved on the floor of the Senate to the police and then make it form the subject of a criminal prosecution of freely elected legislators beats all imagination of free thinking men all over the world. The implication is that any matter that fails on the floor of the National Assembly will now be taken to the Police, thereby endangering every Senator and House member. This current move clearly runs contrary to the Doctrine of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances which are fundamental to the successful operation of the Presidential System of government. It runs counter to the principle outlined by the Supreme Court in the Adesanya Vs Senate case where it was held that nobody should seek to use the courts to achieve what he or she has failed to push through on the floor of the National Assembly.
7. This present efforts, therefore, is clearly a coup against the legislature with the ignoble aim to undermine its independence and subject the law making institution to the whims and caprices of the executive. It is a plan to return Nigeria to the dictatorial era which we have, as a nation, voted to reject. It is a dangerous trend with grave implications for the survival of our democracy and the integrity of the component institutions. This rule of men as against the rule of law is also the reason why the War Against Corruption, one of the cardinal objectives of the present administration, is losing credibility because people perceive it to be selective and, in most cases, aimed at settling political or partisan scores.
8. The Rules of the Senate and how the institution elects its leadership are internal affairs. The Rules of a new Senate are provided by the National Assembly bureaucracy. It has always been so since 1999. After the inauguration of the Senate, if Senators have objections to any part of the Rules, they can follow the procedure for changing it. Senators of the Eighth Senate have no control on the rules applied in the elections of June 9, 2015 because until after their inauguration, they were only Senators-elect, and therefore mere bystanders in the affairs of the Senate.
9. We therefore urge all Nigerians and the International Community to rise up and condemn this blatant attempt to subject the legislature to the control, whims and caprices of the executive. If the Legislative branch falls, democracy fails as there will be no other institution empowered by the Constitution to check and balance the enormous powers of the Executive branch. We also call on the judiciary as the last hope to save our constitutional democracy and stand up for the rule of law, by doing that which is right in this case.
N.B. Item 4 in the press statement was amended based on a revised press statement sent by the Senate spokesperson after our story was published. The original item 4 in the earlier statement we published is reproduced below:
4. We must make it clear here to the individuals in the Executive arm and party leadership behind these plots not to mistake the maturity and hand of co-operation being extended to the Presidency by the legislature as a sign of weakness. 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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Umar, Saraki and the ‘Final Consequence’ Slip


Saraki...this Senate is committed to addressing the nation's challenges


The ongoing case of alleged false asset declaration against Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Sarak,i has continued to throw up new issues, some bordering on unprecedented drama.
Most of the times the actual dramatis personae is not the defendant who by virtue of his position as number three man in the country would not be finding it funny that he is on trial not for diverting any public funds into private pockets or short-changing the government in any way, at least no evidence has been led by the prosecution to that effect. Saraki is being charged with the offence of not declaring some properties which he had acquired a decade before coming into public office. The man who has continued to amuse the audience in the Tribunal is the chairman, Mr. Danladi Umar.

Mr. Umar who the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Maria Aloma Mukhtar wrote about that he is not a judge and should therefore not present, parade himself or be addressed as one has been behaving in a strange manner as a presiding officer sitting over a case. When he is not descending into the arena, engaging in fierce exchange with the counsel to the defendant, he is making comments that are not only irrelevant to the case but that are damning and damaging to his person and the adjudicatory institution that he is heading. Some other times, he is either lavishing the court about personal details on his past relationship with the lead counsel to the defendant, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN.
And when he is doing that he is laughing heartily and obviously happy. Another moment, he is visibly enraged and issuing threats at will.



He sometimes becomes loquacious, revealing details which have the possibility of eroding the credibility of his adjudicatory institution. It is in one of such moment that he revealed how he was put under pressure in the case involving former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Who or which side in the case put him under pressure he did not say. Another time, he started reassuring the defence that he will do justice and as if he was in the dock himself, he started struggling to prove he meant what he said about giving justice. He read from a book of Hadith, the saying and actions of Prophet Muhammed (SAW). Last Tuesday, in a fit of fury, he canvassed the return of obnoxious Decree 2 which the military used to detain people without trial for a minimum of six months, in the first instance. He said the Decree was necessary despite the ‘unfortunate democratic period’ to deal with journalists who wrote what he termed false report.
All these outbursts of the judge usually come at an unexpected time. Either as the proceeding was beginning or at the end. He acts the drama when it was needless and when he was unprovoked.

Last Tuesday (June 7) was the height of these strange utterances and actions by the Tribunal chair. The proceeding was just beginning when Umar started complaining that the Defence was taking too much time cross-examining the Prosecution Witness, Michael Wetkas. He went on and on about how he would not allow the delay and before he knew it, he made a major Freudian slip in which he gave indication of how the Saraki case may end.
In what should be a preliminary remark before commencing the proceeding, Umar said the Defence Counsel was taking too much time to cross-examine the lead prosecution witness as a delay tactic to avoid the ‘final consequence’ for his client.

The statement startled the entire tribunal and made Saraki’s lead counsel, Agabi who is ordinarily a conservative pacifist, always ready to accommodate the indiscretion of the tribunal boss to jump up and ask Umar : “My Lord, what is the final consequence?”.
Agabi then added that the statement by the Tribunal Chairman betrays the prejudice that his client has always been afraid of. “My lord, it is this kind of statement that make us afraid of prejudice. We are saying we are afraid. We are not afraid of you. We are not afraid of the facts and the law. We believe these are on our side. We are afraid of prejudice. This statement of ‘final consequence’ is rather strengthening that fear”, he said.

Though Umar tried to retract his statement immediately, he seemed to have inadvertently let the cat out of the bag and he cannot really deny the worlds never came out. There are those who believe that that statement signified what the bible meant when it stated that “From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh”. This is also what an African proverb expressed by saying ‘whatever a man has in mind in his sober and sane state is what he says when he becomes drunk”. The CCT chairman’s statement last Tuesday appeared to be the confirmation for Saraki and his supporters who have consistently maintained that the Senate President cannot get justice in the present case before the CCT for as long as Umar is the presiding officer.

The implication of a person presiding in adjudication over a case talking about a final consequence when the case is still in its infancy means there is already a pre-determined outcome. The prosecution said it has eight witnesses. It has only called the first one, who though is tagged the star-witness. The defense is striving to ensure that the sensational claims made during examination-in-chief is dismissed and vitiated. However, the presiding chairman is already talking of ‘final consequence’ which he said will not be mitigated by any delay by the Defence.

One would have thought that until the Tribunal hears the final addresses by both parties and then take its time to consider their submissions in terms of the documentary evidence tendered before it, the evidence adduced through examination-in-chief, cross examination and re-examination, nobody can be talking of a final consequence, not to be talking of whether these final consequence can be mitigated by a supposed delay tactics.

Umar’s statement is merely revealing his bias. When I heard him at the Tribunal making that statement. It reminds me of what they say in Lagos that it is unethical for a policeman to arrest an alleged offender and start telling him that he would not get out of the case that would result from the matter. Is the policeman a judge? And can the judge also determine before the conclusion of a case what the final consequence of the case will be?

It is at this point that one must reconsider the statement by Saraki when he was challenging the trial at the CCT in difference courts and some people started accusing him of forum shopping. The critics had concluded that he was doing so to evade justice instead of frontally confronting the trial to prove his innocence. The Senate President always maintained that he was not afraid of the trial but that he was only afraid that with Danladi Umar as Tribunal Chairman, he would not get justice.

The CCT is under the control of the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr David Babachir Lawal, who is betrothed to one of the antagonists in the APC battle for control. Also, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which co-ordinated the investigation on the Saraki case, provided the bulk of the witnesses and the prosecutor, Rotimi Jacob, is the agency that also holds the control lever on Umar as it is currently prosecuting Umar’s Personal Assistant, Abdullahi, for bribery. So, how can Umar be fair to Saraki? In fact, there is every reason for him to be in a hurry to nail Saraki to save his own head. That is why he is talking about what the ‘final consequence’ will be to a defendant even at this stage of the case.

The country has had ebough of this charade and wanton waste of public funds in what is so called false asset declaration of the senate President . Truth be told all government officials from the President downtown the clerk in the ministry have all not been truth ful about assets or one thing or the other. All public official in nigeria are corrupt about one thing or the other. What are they trying to prove by trying to hang Saraki . People like El-Rufai and Tinubu fueling the case and desperate to hang him were paupers in 1999 . Saraki was not . El Rufai wants to become president of nigeria imagine the rubbish who born dog and Tinubu looking for a paupet on a string so he can control manipulate and continue stealing . Today the court should dismiss and quash all charges because all it needs to do is update records . It does not have jurisdiction on the 16 trumped up charges and sooner than later Saraki will get justice from the judiciary pronouncing the CCT as incompetent to try him and lacking jurisdiction to hear cases of such magnitude . It was set up as a bureau to superb ice the conduct of public officers in asset declaration and discipline in public duties. This witch hunting is alien to its duties.
The Senate President is waxing strong in popularity especially with his people oriented drive in legislative matters. The 8th Senate is now adjudged the best ever in history of Nigeria and now Nigerians have their weight behind the Senate President Dr Abubarkar Bukola Saraki knowing that all his actions since becoming a senator in 2011 has been to protect their interest as citizens of our beloved country . The senate records bills and pronoucements by his distinguished self stand as evidence. These records are available to the public . He exposed the fuel subsidy fraud . As chairman senate committee on the environment he initiated the present clean up exercise government is implementing in polluted delta and ogoni region today . Saraki is our Senate President and a promising hardworking purposeful focused performing dutiful eloquent best educated greatly exposed extremely presentable most handsome most forthright duty bound tenacious rugged ambitious visionary leader that has ever mounted that position. Why bring him down . Nigeria why hath down sunken to such measure . Ambition must be made of sterner stuff Saraki is stern and bold . Leave him alone . #Halt CCT now #

Revealed! The truth behind Bukola Saraki’s trial



With the latest adjournment to June 15, 2016, of the ongoing trial for an alleged false assets declaration brought against Bukola Saraki, the Senate president, by the code of conduct tribunal (CCT).

Nigerians will have to wait longer to learn whether the embattled former Kwara state governor is guilty as charged, or learn that his ordeal is politically motivated following his emergence as the nation’s number three man against his party’s wishes.

Saraki is on trial on a 13-count charge of false assets declaration, and of improper use of state funds to purchase private assets during his tenure as the Kwara state governor, among others allegations, but some political pundits are of the view that the defendant is being tried by forces in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) whose egos he bruised in the battle for the control of the leadership of the National Assembly.

The crisis which hit the ruling party following the way the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly emerged, contrary to party’s rules, is yet to subside, with inside sources saying that Saraki’s trial was masterminded by the leadership of the APC in a spirit of revenge.

Saraki’s trial has witnessed legal twists and trickery, with several adjournments and counter claims. At one time the Justice Danladi Umar-led panel asked the Senate president to report to the court at 10am daily, and the accused attended proceedings with over 80 loyal senators, which was highly dramatised in the media.

Anti-corruption crusaders are saying that the case is dovetailing into a silent phase as many Nigerians who have been following it since the beginning have lost interest and accepted that the matter will die a natural death like similar cases before it.


Senate president, Bukola Saraki

“As a legal practitioner, I totally frown at the entire procedure of the case, because it does not have any head way, more so that it lacks fair hearing. No fair hearing is given to the defendant and his team of lawyers,” Dotun Hassan, the president of the Yoruba Council of Youths (YCY), told NAIJ.com

He said that Saraki’s case has been faulty from the outset, and that there is no sense of sincerity in the trial, while expressing disappointment that Nigerians are not carried along by it.

According to Hassan, the fact that the chairman of the CCT, Danladi Umar, himself has a case before the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) should have been grounds to disqualify him from presiding over any case, particularly one that is corruption related.


“He who must come to equity must come with a clean hand. What then happens if the equity itself is not clean? The chairman has a bad record, if not ongoing. Therefore, he is not in the right position to be the judge in this case. In a real sense, this case supposed to be an EFCC’s case and not CCT. The ongoing case has put a question mark on every legal issue in the country.

“The ongoing issue is making mess of our democracy, ridiculing the nation before the world. What about President Buhari who was said to have declared his assets? It was later discovered that all the assets were not fully declared. Did the CCT say anything about that? Nigerians are no longer interested in Saraki’s case as they have been hit by the recession in the country. The ongoing case from my perspective will be swept under the carpet, hence dying a natural death. The case should have been ended by the Supreme Court,” he said.

Hassan alleged that a section of the APC is seeking Saraki’s head for clinching the top Senate seat, which had been exclusively reserved for the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN)-arm of the party, since the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has the seat of the president, and the Saraki-led New Peoples Democratic Party (NPDP) were not considered for any top seat.

“So Saraki played smart one on the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu interest, which was a great blow on the ego of the Party’s National Leader, hence the premeditated nemesis of persecution in the CCT. The perceived fight is against PDP-led mouthpieces and strong men that could pose a huge political threat of opposition against the obnoxious policies of the government. The fight has earned us dreaded economic recession and political quagmire,” he said.

Sources close to the leadership of the APC confided with this author that Saraki’s corruption trial will continue to whither away gradually until Nigerians forget about it, Saraki having used his growing influence in the red chamber to tighten his position.

According to the sources, since party members loyal to leaders whose toes Saraki stepped on to obtain the Senate presidency vowed to ridicule him and Aso Rock’s silence by engineering his travail at the CCT, the Senate president decided to flex his muscles with the APC by holding the presidency to ransom over the 2016 budget.


Bukola Saraki


“It was opportunity for Saraki to make a statement that he cannot be override easily as the nation’s number three citizen. Politics is a matter of interest and relevance and 2016 appropriation provided an ample opportunity for Saraki to show the party how relevant he is now. The leaders of the party are reaching compromise. But Saraki has also proven faithful to the party by sticking with it despite his travail,” one of the sources told NAIJ.com.

Olu Fasan, a political economist and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, told NAIJ.com that it would appear the Saraki case is too much of a political hot potato, and may be kicked into the long grass, continuing for so long that it becomes redundant.

READ ALSO: Beware Buhari! Beware of these 6 months – Bishop Jatau

“Of course, Saraki has every right to exploit legal loopholes and delay hearing of the substantive issues. But it is up to the judges to prevent this if they see it as an abuse of court process. But do not trust Nigerian judges to deal dispassionately with cases of a political nature as this one.

“If APC is using the allegation to seek Saraki’s obedience it is too late now. The only obeisance that the APC leadership wants is to reverse the situation in the Senate with respect to the leadership of the upper house. But they cannot achieve that. Even if Saraki wants to oblige, he cannot because he is beholden to the opposition party PDP members who helped him to become president of the red chamber. The truth is that Saraki will win at last,” he said.

According to Fasan, since the 2019 general election is around the corner, the APC has to worry whether it can win in Kwara and Kogi states where Saraki still has a lot of influence. He explained that if the APC tries to be difficult now, it may be Saraki’s turn to exact his own pound of flesh when the party needs him.

“I am not sure whether there is a deal struck between APC and Saraki, but it’s a game of cat and mouse, and everyone knows that the endgame may create losers and no winners. But I still believe Saraki has the upper hand. He can, at some point, return to the PDP, and that would hurt the APC.

“Driven by political considerations as this one has been, obviously we need independent judges, who also have a sense of public policy; that is, who know that corruption is a crime against the Nigerian people, and so are prepared to deal with corruption cases speedily, without fear or favour,” said Olu Fasan.













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Some National Assembly members have called for the immortalisation of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola.

Some of these federal lawmakers who included Senators Adesoji Akanbi, (APC, Oyo South), Kabir Marafa (APC Zamfara Central), and Samuel Anyanwu (PDP Imo East) said this in separate interviews with one of our correspondents.



The senators all agreed that it was an abnormality for the Federal Government to have pretended as if Abiola did not deserve to be honoured specially for sacrificing his life for the country in the name of democracy.

Akanbi said, “ It is on record today that Nigeria is enjoying the current uninterrupted democracy today since 1999 because the late MKO Abiola laid down his life, that development forced the military to hand over power to civilians and face their constitutional responsibilities squarely.

“By now, major national monuments across the country should have been named after our own hero of democracy and others who lost their lives in the process.”

For Marafa, “The Federal Government should immortalise the late Abiola without further delay because it is long overdue.”

Anyanwu, on his part said, “The late Abiola should be immortalised as the icon of Nigeria’s democracy. Alfred Rewane and others who also paid the supreme sacrifice during the struggle, should not only be immortalised, but have their families compensated.”

Some members of the House of Representatives also backed the view that Abiola and other democracy icons should be immortalised.

One of the lawmakers from Lagos State, Mr. Olufemi Adebanjo-Bandele, said recognising Abiola was long overdue.

Adebanjo-Bandele, (Alimosho Federal Constituency), suggested that the National Stadium in Abuja or “any other befitting edifice” should be named after Abiola.

He added, “It is the most appropriate thing to do. It is long overdue. He and others had to die for us to have this democracy. Let us honour them appropriately.”

A member from Enugu State, Mr. Pat Asadu, said Abiola deserved more recognition than some of the persons that the Federal Government had recognised in the past.

He said, “I support that we should immortalise Abiola and all those who died for the cause of June 12.

“These were the people who worked for the democracy we are enjoying today. We have been celebrating less important people, why not Abiola?

“For me, June 12 should be Democracy Day and not May 29. We should name a less controversial national edifice after him, not like it was done with the University of Lagos.

“However, for the House, it can only come by way of a motion for a resolution to urge the government to recognise Abiola.”

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Self styled voice of people... Before They Mislead President Buhari
June 11/2016

By Dele Momodu;

Fellow Nigerians, let me say categorically and emphatically that our dear beloved country is dangerously haemorrhaging again and this perfidious drift must be halted urgently before we all end up in perdition. Anyone telling President Muhammadu Buhari that all is well or that his government is moving in the right direction is either lying or pretending like a rattlesnake. And there are many scorpions around ready to mislead every government and move on effortlessly when things fall apart. For sure President Buhari possesses the ability to move this country in the right direction and lead us to where we want to be but right now it is not happening and the soul of the people palpitates! I’ve been on several television and radio interviews in the past one week and the commonest question is on the performance of our President. The general perception is that the change mantra seems not to be working and the world is worried because of the importance of Nigeria in the comity of nations.

I hope our President will get to see this piece, read it and ruminate on the points I will raise. The Buhari government has lost a substantial equity in just one year as I will try to explain in the next few paragraphs. It must be noted that Nigerians were happy with the election that ushered in President Buhari. Even those who did not vote for him accepted him with unusual equanimity. Those we expected to fight and throw tantrums simply vamoosed into their bunkers. The expectations were high then but I doubt if enough effort was put into seizing the momentum and translating it into a mass movement that would have stood the test of time. It is not too late to reclaim the moment.

The faith Nigerians had in the abilities and incorruptibility of Buhari is mighty enough to move mountains. But unfortunately, I think the government took many things for granted once it took over the reins of power. The government mistakenly believed that the support of the people was like several blank cheques which it could cash at any point in time. The general impatience of Nigerians and their desire for progressive action were never put into consideration. I remember writing two memos to our President in quick successions, when I realised that Nigerians were getting restless and restive, one of which was the desperate memo that earned me an invitation to the Presidential Villa for which I am so honoured and proud.

Still the government did not respond appropriately to the yearnings of the populace. The major problem is that the priorities of Buhari were never palpable to the general public as everything seemed to operate in utmost secrecy. This is probably a relic of the military days when surprise and spontaneity achieved more. However, democracy is an open book and it has become even more so since the internet turned the world into a global information minefield. I’m sure it was assumed that the people would never doubt or query the sincerity of a messiah. So there was no need to provide any real information about the activities of government. That was the first fallacy.

The second fallacy is that people would give the President plenty of time to unfold his change agenda. One year on, it is obvious that this has not been the case. President Buhari should have moved faster once the people started grumbling about the apparent sluggishness of his administration. The selection of his cabinet was annoyingly slow and by the time it eventually came it had evaporated into a deja vu. There was no element of surprise to elicit major excitement. In fact, most people wondered why it took so long to assemble his present team most of whom he could have picked in two weeks or even before he was sworn in. The demystification of Buhari became manifest from that moment not because the team he picked is not worthy or creditable but because the interminable delay in making the choices cost the nation dearly.

The next problem was that the President should have moved to unite and unify the country immediately. It was clear that the previous administrations had riven great division into the Nigerian polity. A new beginning seeking to heal the ulcerous, cancerous wounds of religious and ethnic disunity and disaffection was required. However, starting with a war of attrition, it was obvious our President would soon have his hands full. Not that some of the wars were unnecessary but the timing and methodology should have been meticulously weighed and analysed before launching into the requisite offensive. There was a lot to learn from our nascent democracy. It would have been easier to embark on some of these wars as a military ruler that the President formerly was but not as a civilian leader which the President now is. That realisation appears to have been missed by some of our President Buhari’s advisers.

For example, while the war against corruption was desperately urgent, it ought to have been known that it was intricately and delicately tied to the economy. The need to recover the looted funds as quickly as possible and use them to reinvigorate the economy needed to be balanced by the need to do so expeditiously and tactfully so that the main objective would be fulfilled. My humble opinion and advice would have been to use the carrot and stick method rather than the kill and go style that has now exposed our economy to grave danger and imminent collapse. The angry mob of Nigerians goading on our President has blatantly refused to assimilate the magnitude of the resultant repercussions. But it should be noted that those who feel frustrated about a rotten system can never be bothered if the entire structure collapses. It is such acute disillusionment that gave rise to the ascendancy of a Donald Trump in America. It is the duty and responsibility of leadership to wear its thinking cap well and rise above the giddiness of the baying crowd who have nothing to lose and only wish to see the spectacle of blood flowing without any degree of humanity or compassion for the impoverished masses that they claim to represent. The same people who hailed Buhari yesterday are the ones denigrating him today.

Once it was impossible to generalise the war against corruption to engulf all politicians tainted with corruption no matter their affiliation the government should have requested for a blanket return of government booty via negotiation with all public office holders. Those who failed to take up this generous offer of recovery could then be visited with the might and power of retributive justice. An example of when this great opportunity was missed was when government unreasonably told Nigerians they could no longer pay foreign currencies in cash into their accounts. Perhaps government in its naivety did not remember that politicians had prosecuted the last election through the almighty dollar because it reduced the bulkiness of gratifications. Government should have patiently waited for the dollars to come in, whether in cash or not, before pouncing on the owners. Once that opportunity was missed, the next was to discreetly stretch its tentacles across the world in search of thieves and money launderers. Assets at home and abroad should have been quietly traced for possible confiscation. This could have been done without all the present grandstanding and hullabaloo. When you hear the elephant stomping the ground behind you in a one directional manner, you know it is time to run and hide. In this period when we are celebrating the life and times of Mohammed Ali perhaps it is poignant to say that you do not telegraph your punches rather you “rope a dope”!

Also, the moment our President chose a military style of operation he should have known that corruption would fight back with ferocity and velocity. For example, once it seemed the former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan had been marked for humiliation even demolition, I knew our President was playing with the tiger’s tail and I sounded my note of warning. Before we could say Jack Robinson, the Niger Delta avengers returned with a vengeance and brought us back to our knees. Today our oil production has plunged to an all-time low even when we had been grappling with the nightmare of low crude oil prices. The Niger Delta Avengers army seems ready to make Boko Haram look like child’s play as they strangulate the economy, degrade the environment and decimate the local population that they claim to be fighting for. Is this what we need to add to our plethora of problems at this time? The answer is a big NO.

The militarisation of Nigeria has become very suffocating. Shiites are being killed in droves in the North West. Mass graves have been identified and uncovered. The Biafra agitators are being massacred in broad-day light and its leaders detained indefinitely. Boko Haram remains a monumental menace to society despite the extra-ordinary efforts of our military and Intelligence agencies. The Fulani and or Libyan herdsmen have added to the conundrum out of the blues. Different militant groups are now armed to the teeth. Trust me these guys don’t look like they are joking. Nobody fights on as many fronts as this government now seems to be fighting without risking it all.

Many have argued that Nigeria should be restructured. It is believed that its present configuration is too artificial. Most of the States are no longer viable while some fringe or full-blown eccentrics are asking for more. It is interesting that in the build up to independence our leaders from the North, Southwest and East were saying the same thing in different words. Nigeria is peopled by diverse nationalities and any nation must recognise this diversity and give it voice and room to flourish. A continuous denial of this fact can only lead to self-destruction. One of our erstwhile leaders in his wisdom foisted unitary system on us when we had successfully thrived under true federalism. That was a mark of courage notwithstanding that it was a totally flawed decision. Our President must find a similar kind of courage to find and examine all the previous recommendations made during different and various constitutional conferences and implement the universal clamour for true federalism. There is nothing new under the sun, as they say, our President already has a rich reservoir of knowledge deposited in some government archives to reach the best decision and modality that will achieve this end. My simple solution, Nigeria must return to and embrace and practise true Federalism. Not doing so is like pushing our luck too far and postponing doomsday.

What is of utmost importance in calling for a political configuration that will meet the yearnings of our people is the state of the economy. My submission is that the economy will never recover in an atmosphere of tension, uncertainty and panic. The Federal Government needs to tone down the negative rhetoric about our country. That unfortunate moniker of a corrupt nation that has been hung round our necks is dragging us down and denying Nigeria the investment in its future that it requires. Our President must make it clear that he is not the only saint in Nigeria but that the majority of Nigerians are saints and he is the leader who epitomises that. This is why he was chosen by the majority of good and well-meaning Nigerians who want someone that would demonstrate to the world that the generality of Nigerians are decent, hardworking and honest and that it is a small minority of Nigerians that are crooks. We must begin to walk away from our ugly past and work assiduously for a beautiful future.

Every nation has lived through its terrible moments but none ever cuddled the past forever as we now seem to be doing. Nigeria is richly blessed with human and natural resources. There is always a new dawn tomorrow and we must get ready for it, embrace it and by so doing seize the initiative. There would always be criminals in every society but we must never allow them to steal our future or still dominate our narrative when we have so many great men and women we can be proud of. Fortunately, we have a President that stands head and shoulders above all else and he clearly leads the way. He must now show it by moving at the fast pace that his countr[truncated by

Senators Commend Saraki’s Leadership Style

SarakiThe Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has received pass marks for his leadership style and his ability to marshal the conduct of affairs in the upper legislative chambers.



This came during a special plenary as the 8th Senate marked its first year anniversary on Thursday.

Some others condemned the Senate President’s ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) describing it as an act of injustice.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, congratulated the Senate President.

“I congratulate you because of what you stood for. You have shown that you are the true apostle of the independence of the parliament.

“Over the past 365 days, you have been buffeted from all directions. Your past has been x-rayed, your present has been monitored and your future has been gazed at because you stand on the path of the independence of the parliament to elect leaders.

“I want to thank you because you have been resilient in spite of all these.

“You have shown that you are a patriot. You have extended hands of fellowship and cooperation to everybody in spite of all the challenges.”

Senate-Dino-Melaye

Senator Dino Melaye also commended Dr. Saraki for remaining “focused, un-rattled, principled, not perturbed, not worried and intellectually mobile” in leading the Senate.

Corruption : Wither the Nigerian State - Matters Arising


Open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria



Dear Mr President,


I greet you and commend you greatly for your drive in cleansing the NIGERIAN STATE so as to create a fresh start for the people. We must agree that you need support to achieve this lofty objective. However, where and how you get this support may give direction to your plan towards achieving success. As you gather momentum, you must gather strength and support . David Cameron has pledged his support . We all know the much talked about gaffe in his remark to the Queen was very unfair. Thank God, the Archbishop of Canterbury created a balance for the rhetoric. Our concern here is to draw attention to the word 'Fantastic'. This appears to be an allusion to how the Judiciary is being used to witch-hunt and persecute the Senate President solely for the purpose of taking control of the National Assembly (NASS).

That is the game going on and it is what British intelligence has described to Cameron as 'fantastically corrupt'. They noticed how the Senate President has used a team of brilliant top ranking experts on advocacy and law to plead his case in the courts against this gross abuse of due and constitutional processes aimed at removing him from office. The Judiciary is the last bastion of hope for all . The process used to deliver justice must be thoroughly transparent without an iota of doubt or cause for appeal at any instance. This present Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal is bedeviled with too many anomalies. It has been faulted by eminent jurists as constitutionally inadequate and unable to deliver on the fundamental objective for which it has been set up.

The Tribunal is not qualified to try criminal matters and one of the men sitting on its judgement is under indictment for bribery and corruption by one of the anti-graft agencies. Why on earth should that same body be trying the president of the Nigerian Senate? Up till now, the jurisdiction of that tribunal to superintend over criminal cases is still dubious. That is another reason to describe our country as 'fantastically corrupt'. Please halt that process and let Asiwaju Tinubu and other disgruntled elements within your party who have been sidelined sheath their swords and save you further embarrassment internationally. The laws of the land are clear . If Saraki is to be indicted let it be through a transparent judicial process and not a kangaroo process that spells doom for your government. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands, Lord Denin proclaimed . You cannot start a legality with an illegality .







Mr President , You are not alone in this vision to purge Nigeria and create a new political order, national orientation towards steadfastness. uprightness, transparency , tenacity and truth in the administration of government business . This vision is not unique to you and neither can you do it alone . The concert of actors in this Herculean task need to be in tandem with your blessed vision. You have been consistent with this purge syndrome since your first attempt in 1983. The actors that brought your government down then are still very much around and visible today. Their agents are in government today. They include a man like Nasir El Rufai, and his cohorts that feel threatened by Bukola Saraki.


Saraki who they are afraid of remains unperturbed. He is a man of tremendous courage. He has the vision to propagate your ideals and he will perfectly complement your determination to see your programme through this time. Your association with the former Governor of Kwara State is made in heaven. Please, let no man attempt to put it asunder. Ambition, sheer jealousy, corruption and hypocrisy have created delusions in the minds of today's power mongers in our country. Mr President, they are the ones working hard to bring down the President of the Senate in order to derail your vision of a new beginning which is evidently being supported by the Chairman of the National Assembly. If he is allowed to fall, Mr. President, you will be the next victim.



The implication of this viewpoint is obvious one: if that which is appreciated by everybody as progress is in fact only an illusion of progress and the reality is obvious corruption of due process. then the very fact of this camouflage is what is now known as 'fantastic corruption'. It prevents the detection of the real nature of corruption and encourages its perpetuation.



Our Commander in chief sir, corruption is not only the opposite of progress in the sense that the majority of the philosophers of the enlightenment understood it. It is sometimes often disguised as progress.

Had history not been navigated by a series of unpredictable and unnecessary disasters, the state of affairs in Nigeria could have been different , perhaps less corrupt. Our first expression of regret over Nigeria's history that has gone so very wrong are ultimately a critique of nature, natural occurrences and events surrounding Nigeria's creation rather than ordination by God. This is what you seek to correct and quite rightly too .Another and very important point about the notion of corruption is that it demonstrates itself as dis- orientation . It has drawn Nigeria back, very far back. Your support and victory at the polls was on the back drop of the trust that you will work arduously to eradicate corruption. Your perpetuation into office and victory at the polls was guaranteed by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at least that is the rumour David Cameron also has heard from his agents in Nigeria and the American Foreign Secretary John Kerry who visited you twice before your victory .

Now, that is a 'fantastically corrupt' individual. Though, never convicted, he is widely believed to be so. Therein lies the illusion of corruption and progress and we must divorce our use of it as a process to achieve objectives where possible, such as the ongoing trial of your Senate President. It must be halted for it is delusional, anti progress and spells doom for your pursuit of national re orientation. Corruption is not simply a transformation from good to evil, but it is in a way always a departure from the pure and unspoiled origin, and this departure always manifest itself as splitting up or falling apart. Let is not be so with this God-sent composition of the executive, legislature and about to be reformed judiciary. This last arm of government and bastion of hope for the common man should be reformed. The confidence of the reform group headed by your Vice President who is by all standards an extremely brilliant assistant, is manifest. I digress to submit that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is a very wise choice ordained by the invocation of spiritual intervention to serve you .







The fight against Corruption is an extremely important idea for Nigeria to overcome than has been recognized: a dangerous state of nature can result from corruption of the people and corruption of the legal processes. Widely and often used is this 'cognitive' conception of corruption known to great political thinkers and philosophers as the distortion of mental processes, by faulty reasoning or improper attitudes. Corruption means that citizens think they benefit from sedition, a combination of politically motivated advise with self- interested rhetoric rather than impartial logic, witnesses lie and judges settle cases by bribes or pity. Although corruption is often thought to involve the pursuit of private gain, I talk here about corruption in terms of misjudged private gain, where an individual is motivated by his apparent, short-tem self-interest, rather than his real, long- term self- interest.
If Saraki is left to lead the Senate it is obvious Nigeria will benefit more than this temporary quest to bring him down . It is his innate ability that propelled him to that seat, inspired by his ambition which is made of sterner stuff. For this and many other reasons, Mr President, corruption can lead to a state of confusion as with the ongoing travails of the Senate President .



Nigeria needs a fresh start and whatever laws we want to use to bring Saraki down will have to be used to bring past leaders to book and the current members of the executive arm cannot be exonerated . MKO Abiola on his Presidential debate against Alhaji Bashir Tofa was asked if he would probe Babangida's Government and his response was how can you probe a man using his own laws. Witch-hunting is archaic, a very negative method of settling political battles and an extremely crude and primitive method of striking back with its corrupt methods at play .



Mr President today you are seen by many as only laundering your image as insinuated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Nigeria is in the eye of the storm and you are bound by the doctrine of collectively responsibility and so should resign on account of Saraki being persecuted if it is allowed. If you are not the one persecuting him, then who is and why? It is treasonable for the Senate President's removal to be initiated by an individual as is being claimed by the Saraki team and as he voiced out in his recent appeal for sanity. If because he rejected a Muslim /Muslim ticket which is of national interest and significant to the All Progressives Congress (APC)'s path to success, he stepped on toes it seems clear that the control of the nation is vulnerable to private individuals wielding political power and finance as tools. This is totally unacceptable, Mr President. Please, halt the trial of the Senate President







Mr President, pay no attention to the whims and caprices of a frenzied glorified party leadership. Their duty to get you into office is done and they need not interfere.



The state is presently looking like an Augean stable and the senate president has shown the path to a fresh start, new way of getting things done properly with the process he and his distinguished colleagues have handled the budget proposals, the budget ratification, leading to the Presidential assent. The cohesive nature must be replicated in many other legislative duties and evidently observers have noticed this in the type of bills being initiated. The common good is the objective of this 8th assembly and the Chairman is the author of this vision, so he must be spared. He must be allowed to lead as his vision is in consonance with the growing trend in world affairs . He represents the generational influence needed by the executive and the people, so that policies are no longer too distant from the promise of change which was the mantra of the mandate giving to you. Unlike previous democratic governments, the executive and legislature are in tandem. This must be encouraged. For the first time, the assent has been given and from inception to fruition no ‘Ghana must go ‘ has been ferried from Aso rock villa to the National Assembly to support the eagerness to approve your budget proposals .

Alhamdudilahi, corruption is 'fantastically' being eradicated. We need to strengthen the institutions of government and create good precedents so that when this crop of leaders leave office, history will recall their efforts at creating a lasting legacy to emulate .







Mr President, pay no attention to the whims and caprices of a frenzied glorified party leadership . Their duty to get you into office is done and they need not interfere in governance. We will see them in four years time if they are needed. To bring politicking into administration of government or to use government institutions such as the judiciary to witch-hunt political foes is archaic in modern times like this. Its visibility to the layman make it a 'fantastically corrupt' process to be adopted. If the CCT exonerated Tinubu and some others, Saraki's case must be halted and CCB reconstituted. If the CCB is under the office of the Secretary to the Federal government and or under full control by the attorney general then it is morally not fit to try the No 3 man. It should just update the records of his assets and make recommendations if there is a constitutional breach or criminal element . The kangaroo charade and embarrassment going on because they want his resignation is a fallacy. His refusal to resign is for the same reason because he is being witch-hunted so it's a catch 22. Why drag the exalted office Into all these?

Sir , to remain aloof and stand offish in this matter is to put all at risk, including your exalted office. The danger of using government institutions in a corrupt manner is unacceptable . It failed Babangida even in a totalitarian government. It failed Obasanjo in his third term bid. It also failed Goodluck Jonathan. You will not fail, Insha Allah. So, please halt Tinubu, El Rufai, Nuhu Ribadu and all Saraki's enemies. If they want to hang him, let them use constitutional means .



The present Chairman of the CCT, Mr Danladi Umar is not recognised as a member a judge and member of the judiciary. He is under indictment and investigation by the EFCC for demanding bribe of N10,000,000 (Ten million naira only). Mr President, I beg your pardon, sir, but is this an affront, a travesty of justice and breach of the law for him to be determining a matter in which the Chairman of the National Assembly is involved? He has no locus standi to hear the matter. If you decide not to listen to this appeal on behalf of your self and the nation, at least listen to the communique released by Justice Oguntade and other eminent jurists at the just concluded summit at the Ben Nwabueze Centre on the ongoing travails of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki .



Today, we are being watched as we put our house in order. Let no man utter a word against you as being seen or made to look when fantastically corrupt methods are adopted in dispensing justice. That is a violation of the terms of the oath of office you swore to on May 29 2015 as you were sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.



Long live President Mohammadu Buhari long live the Federal republic

Vincent Obioha is a research associate in political Science and strategic studies in Houston Texas

Next Thursday, June 9 will be the first anniversary of the 8th Senate. This is therefore a a good period to critically examine the performance of the Upper Chamber of the federal legislature. There have been attempts by some people to define the narrative of the performance based on the initial controversy arising from the politics of the emergence of its leadership. However, It is clear that this Senate has more going for it beyond politics.



Early enough, members had settled down to business of defining how the law making chamber can be relevant and serve the interests of the constituents. Led by an experienced and brilliant public officer, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, it was clear to the lawmakers since their inauguration that the major challenges facing the country centred mainly on economic crisis which has resulted in youth unemployment, security problems, particularly insurgency in the North-east zone and pervading corruption which has eroded the confidence of the international community in Nigeria.

The Senators were quick to realise that their relevance will be determined by the ability of the institution to contribute to the resolution of the identified problems. Also, Senators understood that they can only make themselves relevant by tackling issues that have to do with people’s general welfare. Knowing that the economy is the sub-structure of the polity and in fact a key to solving some of the other challenges facing the country, they decided that legislations, oversights and advocacy that have to do with economic revival, revitalising businesses and creating employment should be given priority.

To achieve this, they engaged a team of experts from the World Bank Group, Department for International Development (DFID), the private sector, professional bodies like the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), the academia and others. The task assigned to the experts was to identify existing laws that need to be reviewed and amended to bring them up to Global standards, old laws that should be repealed and new legislations that require enactment, all in a bid to help the economy grow.

The main concern, here, is the poor rating Nigeria continues to get annually in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Assessment Report. At least, it is a fact that investors will not go to a place where they cannot easily establish and operate their businesses at a profit. Also, the prevailing condition will kill big and small scale local entrepreneurs. And without these investments, employment cannot be created, the economy cannot grow and government will not get money from other sources beyond oil whose price have continued to be on a downward slope.

The experts in their reports have identified 54 laws which need immediate attention to achieve the aim of making it easy for investors to establish and operate businesses in Nigeria. Their recommendations were later subjected to further debate and analysis through a business roundtable dialogue with stakeholders in public and private sectors.

The Senate has started acting on the 168-page report. First, the recommendations formed the core of the Legislative Agenda which, though yet to be publicly launched, is already being implemented. Second, the legislations recommended for review are now in various stages of law making process.

As at today, the Senate has passed the Electronic Transaction Law 2015 and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law 2015. The new Railways Act which will enable the private sector invest and participate in running a vibrant railways sector is in the last stage before being passed. It is gladdening that the 8th Senate is the one reviewing the almost a century old Railway Act. In fact, if not for the decision to constitute a committee of experts to review the work of the Senate committee on Land Transportation and help straighten the technical aspects, the Railway Act would have been passed.

The Senate has equally commenced the review of the Public Procurement Act to make it compulsory for government to patronise local manufacturers, except in cases where the needed goods and services are not locally available. The objective here is to ensure that a substantial percentage of the N6 trillion that is in the 2016 national budget is retained in the local economy and put in the pockets of our people. This, according to the lawmakers, is the best way to achieve wealth creation, increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), encourage local industries to grow and stimulate increased productivity among Nigerians. It is also an ingenuous way of creating mass employment. With this move, the eighth Senate must be drawing inspiration from other developed economies that had done a similar thing. US enacted a similar legislation around 1922 with the Buy America policy promoted by the Herbert Hoover administration. China, South Africa and other countries also have related laws.

The deliberate efforts to promote Made in Nigeria goods have been backed with practical demonstrations by the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and other Senators like Ben Murray Bruce, Enyinaya Abaribe, Theodore Orji and others who are now ambassadors of Made in Nigeria goods. With all these carefully planned and inter-linked measures, one can see that there is a system, process and method to the way the present Senate is doing its work.

Still on the economic revival plan, the Senate has revived the long-pending Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the plan is to break the old bill into several workable, practical and functional laws so that the various issues involved can be tackled at different times. It is calculated that the logjam around this bill can be resolved if the Senate, for example, takes the first step of enacting into law the aspects that are not contentious and where national consensus has been achieved. These non-contentious codified aspects can immediately be deployed to effect the much needed reforms in the sector. The lawmakers can later proceed to work on the contentious areas through different bills. This is considered a more realistic approach, instead of having a humongous, all-purpose bill, which will continue to be bogged down by divergent interests. The first bill from the original PIB is now at the second reading stage.

The PIB is one of the 167 bills that have passed first reading stage. 39 others are in the Second Reading stage and 6 others are in the final stage of passage, which is the third reading. The reasoning of the Saraki-led Senate is that the earlier the Senate focus on bills that will transform the national economy, curb youth unemployment, eliminate insecurity and other social malaise and institutionalise social justice, the better for us all. This will prevent a situation where the Senators will desperately resort to rushing bills with little legislative value at the twilight period of their tenure as it happened in the past.

As part of its contributions to the economic revival agenda of government, the Senate has also expressed its commitment to frugal management of the meagre resources now available to the government after the drastic fall of the price of oil. It is reasoned that if the government can block the loopholes in its finances, diversify the source of revenue, be frugal and innovative in its spendings, Nigeria could convert the present economic downturn to advantage. That is why motions and resolutions in the Upper Legislative Chamber are focussing on areas where government is losing revenue.

Two instances readily come to mind here. Through a motion raised on the floor, the Senate investigated and found out that in the operation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), government has lost more than N20 billion and will lose more if the contract with the company charged with the collection was not terminated. In a well- argued, revealing submission, it called on the executive to discontinue the transaction.

In another investigation arising from a motion, Senate discovered that the government has been duped of over N400bn through wrong application of the Duty Waivers policy. It has since directed that the culprits be made to cough out what they wrongfully got.

Another area where this Senate has exerted a lot of energy with a view to providing service to the people is in the area of restoration of peace in the North-east zone which had been devastated by the activities of Boko Haram. Not only did the Senate continue to call for briefing from security agencies and also intervening at every necessary point to ensure that the armed forces get the necessary funding and moral encouragement to restore peace in the area, the Senate has championed early commencement of rehabilitation, rebuilding and resettlement of people in the area.

Last year, the principal officers made the first ever fact-finding visit by the federal legislature to the areas since the insurgency started over a decade ago. During the visit, the Senate also made financial donations to the upkeep of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The visit led to the consideration of a bill to establish the North-east Development Commission which may be passed into law next Thursday. The lawmakers had earlier passed a resolution on the establishment of a Presidential Committee on the rehabilitation of the people who are presently in the various Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Again, the leadership has continually rallied international support for the rehabilitation and war efforts in the area. Not only has the Senate President, Saraki, made the issue of international assistance for restoration of peace and rehabilitation of people in the North east a recurrent issue in all his international speaking engagements, he repeatedly canvassed these issues when he meets with diplomats and development partners who are frequently on courtesy visit to his office.

The current Senate is totally committed to tackling issues that have direct impact on our people. That is why they intervened on the electricity tariff issue and their efforts led to the abolition of the fixed charges. Last week, the Senate held a well-attended public hearing on the recent increase in the same tariff and it will soon announce the result of the investigation.

Also, when the forex policy of the CBN became suffocating for small scale manufacturers that require foreign components to keep running their operations, the Senate invited the CBN Governor and the discussion with the apex bank alongside pressure mounted by other bodies led to the review of the policy to allow easier access to forex by genuine businesses.

The Senate has consistently discussed motions, pass resolutions and consider laws which have direct impact on the lives of the people. For example, it has expressed concern about the growing rate of kidnapping, rape and brutality to children in the country. Now, there is a pending bill aimed at making kidnapping a capital offence. Senators are also considering laws that will protect women against sexual assault. The proposed law against sexual molestation or harassment of female students by randy lecturers and others in higher Institutions of learning has gone to committee stage. The Senate has also intensified the campaign to ensure that all state Houses of Assembly adopt and enact the Child Rights Law in their respective states. It has investigated and is still investigating several cases of child abuse.

One other way through which the Upper chamber has continued to serve our people is through investigations of petitions and public complaints submitted by ordinary people through their respective senators. Through these petitions, many aggrieved persons have got reprieve, without having to spend a kobo on legal fees. A case in point was that of a policeman in Lagos wrongfully dismissed 25 years ago but who has now been reinstated after the Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions investigated his case and found out that injustice had been meted to him. As at today, 162 petitions have been submitted, 32 already dealt with conclusively and 82 under consideration. The rest were found to lack merit, probably because they are subject of litigation or that the committee found out the claims were frivolous.

Also, to demonstrate support for the anti-corruption war by the Federal Government, the 8th Senate has equally engaged with anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC, ICPC, CCB and the rest on how to improve their efficiency through a review of their enabling laws as well as provision of more funds for them to procure necessary facilities and train their officers.

The Senate has also commenced the process of setting up an independent Transparency and Delivery commission which will help draw up a robust scheme and strengthen the internal structure and capacity of the National Assembly to fulfil its role as an anti-corruption institution. The commission will help the Senate to use its oversight tools to act as catalyst for greater transparency and efficiency in fighting corruption.

More importantly, the Senate has decided that no single bill or motion will be debated in the present Senate except it adds value to the objectives of reforming the economy, eliminating insecurity, enthroning social justice, fighting corruption and making lives better for the generality of the people.

By giving priority to laws and issues that affect the economy, the present Senate has defined its own focus. And if they can record appreciable success in these areas, they would have helped to solve a large percentage of the problems threatening the existence of the country. They would also have helped to reposition the country for achieving greatness and serving the interests of Nigerians.

Head, Department of Commercial Law, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, (NIALS), Professor Paul Idornigie (SAN), has faulted the decision of the Supreme Court that two members of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT)‎ could hear the case of alleged false declaration of assets filed against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
The senior lawyer who spoke yesterday at a round-table on Media Reporting of Court Proceedings organised by the Law Media and Social Development Initiative, noted that the provisions of the Constitution, which created the tribunal, stipulated that it shall be constituted by three members but did not provide for a quorum.
He asked: “What would be the decision of the tribunal when a member finds an accused guilty and the remaining one member did not so find?”
Idornigie added that it was wrong for the Director General in the Ministry of Justice to have instituted the charges against Saraki when there was a sitting Solicitor General in the ministry.
He also decried the statement credited to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, that ‘nobody comes to the EFCC and goes out clean’.
According to him: “It was a wide and speculative statement because in law, there is a presumption of innocence.
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He cited Section 36(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, stressing that everyone charged with a criminal offence should be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.
Earlier, the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello, had pledged the readiness of the judiciary to assist the media.
He, however, charged journalists not to engage in reporting their opinion, conjecture and speculation.
“The court records are public documents and judges are willing to allow journalists access the records”, he said.
In his welcome address, the President of Law Media and Social Justice Development Initiative, Mr. Charles Odenigbo, noted that there was low knowledge of how law and justice worked in the country.
This, he stated, had made it difficult for the public to understand how the courts arrived at their judgments, punished offenders or even awarded damages.
‎He, therefore, urged judicial reporters to better inform the public about the laws and justice.
On his part, the President, National Union of Journalist (NUJ), Waheed Odusile, identified lack of understanding as a major problem confronting journalists covering the judiciary.

Next Thursday, June 9 will be the first anniversary of the 8th Senate. This is therefore a a good period to critically examine the performance of the Upper Chamber of the federal legislature. There have been attempts by some people to define the narrative of the performance based on the initial controversy arising from the politics of the emergence of its leadership. However, It is clear that this Senate has more going for it beyond politics.



Early enough, members had settled down to business of defining how the law making chamber can be relevant and serve the interests of the constituents. Led by an experienced and brilliant public officer, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, it was clear to the lawmakers since their inauguration that the major challenges facing the country centred mainly on economic crisis which has resulted in youth unemployment, security problems, particularly insurgency in the North-east zone and pervading corruption which has eroded the confidence of the international community in Nigeria.

The Senators were quick to realise that their relevance will be determined by the ability of the institution to contribute to the resolution of the identified problems. Also, Senators understood that they can only make themselves relevant by tackling issues that have to do with people’s general welfare. Knowing that the economy is the sub-structure of the polity and in fact a key to solving some of the other challenges facing the country, they decided that legislations, oversights and advocacy that have to do with economic revival, revitalising businesses and creating employment should be given priority.

To achieve this, they engaged a team of experts from the World Bank Group, Department for International Development (DFID), the private sector, professional bodies like the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), the academia and others. The task assigned to the experts was to identify existing laws that need to be reviewed and amended to bring them up to Global standards, old laws that should be repealed and new legislations that require enactment, all in a bid to help the economy grow.

The main concern, here, is the poor rating Nigeria continues to get annually in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Assessment Report. At least, it is a fact that investors will not go to a place where they cannot easily establish and operate their businesses at a profit. Also, the prevailing condition will kill big and small scale local entrepreneurs. And without these investments, employment cannot be created, the economy cannot grow and government will not get money from other sources beyond oil whose price have continued to be on a downward slope.

The experts in their reports have identified 54 laws which need immediate attention to achieve the aim of making it easy for investors to establish and operate businesses in Nigeria. Their recommendations were later subjected to further debate and analysis through a business roundtable dialogue with stakeholders in public and private sectors.

The Senate has started acting on the 168-page report. First, the recommendations formed the core of the Legislative Agenda which, though yet to be publicly launched, is already being implemented. Second, the legislations recommended for review are now in various stages of law making process.

As at today, the Senate has passed the Electronic Transaction Law 2015 and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law 2015. The new Railways Act which will enable the private sector invest and participate in running a vibrant railways sector is in the last stage before being passed. It is gladdening that the 8th Senate is the one reviewing the almost a century old Railway Act. In fact, if not for the decision to constitute a committee of experts to review the work of the Senate committee on Land Transportation and help straighten the technical aspects, the Railway Act would have been passed.

The Senate has equally commenced the review of the Public Procurement Act to make it compulsory for government to patronise local manufacturers, except in cases where the needed goods and services are not locally available. The objective here is to ensure that a substantial percentage of the N6 trillion that is in the 2016 national budget is retained in the local economy and put in the pockets of our people. This, according to the lawmakers, is the best way to achieve wealth creation, increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), encourage local industries to grow and stimulate increased productivity among Nigerians. It is also an ingenuous way of creating mass employment. With this move, the eighth Senate must be drawing inspiration from other developed economies that had done a similar thing. US enacted a similar legislation around 1922 with the Buy America policy promoted by the Herbert Hoover administration. China, South Africa and other countries also have related laws.

The deliberate efforts to promote Made in Nigeria goods have been backed with practical demonstrations by the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and other Senators like Ben Murray Bruce, Enyinaya Abaribe, Theodore Orji and others who are now ambassadors of Made in Nigeria goods. With all these carefully planned and inter-linked measures, one can see that there is a system, process and method to the way the present Senate is doing its work.

Still on the economic revival plan, the Senate has revived the long-pending Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the plan is to break the old bill into several workable, practical and functional laws so that the various issues involved can be tackled at different times. It is calculated that the logjam around this bill can be resolved if the Senate, for example, takes the first step of enacting into law the aspects that are not contentious and where national consensus has been achieved. These non-contentious codified aspects can immediately be deployed to effect the much needed reforms in the sector. The lawmakers can later proceed to work on the contentious areas through different bills. This is considered a more realistic approach, instead of having a humongous, all-purpose bill, which will continue to be bogged down by divergent interests. The first bill from the original PIB is now at the second reading stage.

The PIB is one of the 167 bills that have passed first reading stage. 39 others are in the Second Reading stage and 6 others are in the final stage of passage, which is the third reading. The reasoning of the Saraki-led Senate is that the earlier the Senate focus on bills that will transform the national economy, curb youth unemployment, eliminate insecurity and other social malaise and institutionalise social justice, the better for us all. This will prevent a situation where the Senators will desperately resort to rushing bills with little legislative value at the twilight period of their tenure as it happened in the past.

As part of its contributions to the economic revival agenda of government, the Senate has also expressed its commitment to frugal management of the meagre resources now available to the government after the drastic fall of the price of oil. It is reasoned that if the government can block the loopholes in its finances, diversify the source of revenue, be frugal and innovative in its spendings, Nigeria could convert the present economic downturn to advantage. That is why motions and resolutions in the Upper Legislative Chamber are focussing on areas where government is losing revenue.

Two instances readily come to mind here. Through a motion raised on the floor, the Senate investigated and found out that in the operation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), government has lost more than N20 billion and will lose more if the contract with the company charged with the collection was not terminated. In a well- argued, revealing submission, it called on the executive to discontinue the transaction.

In another investigation arising from a motion, Senate discovered that the government has been duped of over N400bn through wrong application of the Duty Waivers policy. It has since directed that the culprits be made to cough out what they wrongfully got.

Another area where this Senate has exerted a lot of energy with a view to providing service to the people is in the area of restoration of peace in the North-east zone which had been devastated by the activities of Boko Haram. Not only did the Senate continue to call for briefing from security agencies and also intervening at every necessary point to ensure that the armed forces get the necessary funding and moral encouragement to restore peace in the area, the Senate has championed early commencement of rehabilitation, rebuilding and resettlement of people in the area.

Last year, the principal officers made the first ever fact-finding visit by the federal legislature to the areas since the insurgency started over a decade ago. During the visit, the Senate also made financial donations to the upkeep of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The visit led to the consideration of a bill to establish the North-east Development Commission which may be passed into law next Thursday. The lawmakers had earlier passed a resolution on the establishment of a Presidential Committee on the rehabilitation of the people who are presently in the various Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Again, the leadership has continually rallied international support for the rehabilitation and war efforts in the area. Not only has the Senate President, Saraki, made the issue of international assistance for restoration of peace and rehabilitation of people in the North east a recurrent issue in all his international speaking engagements, he repeatedly canvassed these issues when he meets with diplomats and development partners who are frequently on courtesy visit to his office.

The current Senate is totally committed to tackling issues that have direct impact on our people. That is why they intervened on the electricity tariff issue and their efforts led to the abolition of the fixed charges. Last week, the Senate held a well-attended public hearing on the recent increase in the same tariff and it will soon announce the result of the investigation.

Also, when the forex policy of the CBN became suffocating for small scale manufacturers that require foreign components to keep running their operations, the Senate invited the CBN Governor and the discussion with the apex bank alongside pressure mounted by other bodies led to the review of the policy to allow easier access to forex by genuine businesses.

The Senate has consistently discussed motions, pass resolutions and consider laws which have direct impact on the lives of the people. For example, it has expressed concern about the growing rate of kidnapping, rape and brutality to children in the country. Now, there is a pending bill aimed at making kidnapping a capital offence. Senators are also considering laws that will protect women against sexual assault. The proposed law against sexual molestation or harassment of female students by randy lecturers and others in higher Institutions of learning has gone to committee stage. The Senate has also intensified the campaign to ensure that all state Houses of Assembly adopt and enact the Child Rights Law in their respective states. It has investigated and is still investigating several cases of child abuse.

One other way through which the Upper chamber has continued to serve our people is through investigations of petitions and public complaints submitted by ordinary people through their respective senators. Through these petitions, many aggrieved persons have got reprieve, without having to spend a kobo on legal fees. A case in point was that of a policeman in Lagos wrongfully dismissed 25 years ago but who has now been reinstated after the Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions investigated his case and found out that injustice had been meted to him. As at today, 162 petitions have been submitted, 32 already dealt with conclusively and 82 under consideration. The rest were found to lack merit, probably because they are subject of litigation or that the committee found out the claims were frivolous.

Also, to demonstrate support for the anti-corruption war by the Federal Government, the 8th Senate has equally engaged with anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC, ICPC, CCB and the rest on how to improve their efficiency through a review of their enabling laws as well as provision of more funds for them to procure necessary facilities and train their officers.

The Senate has also commenced the process of setting up an independent Transparency and Delivery commission which will help draw up a robust scheme and strengthen the internal structure and capacity of the National Assembly to fulfil its role as an anti-corruption institution. The commission will help the Senate to use its oversight tools to act as catalyst for greater transparency and efficiency in fighting corruption.

More importantly, the Senate has decided that no single bill or motion will be debated in the present Senate except it adds value to the objectives of reforming the economy, eliminating insecurity, enthroning social justice, fighting corruption and making lives better for the generality of the people.

By giving priority to laws and issues that affect the economy, the present Senate has defined its own focus. And if they can record appreciable success in these areas, they would have helped to solve a large percentage of the problems threatening the existence of the country. They would also have helped to reposition the country for achieving greatness and serving the interests of Nigerians.

Damilola Oyedele examines the performance of the National Assembly in the last one year

Shaky Start



The inauguration of the eighth National Assembly would be considered one of the rockiest in the history of the Nigerian legislature. The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, had gone against the wishes of their party, the All Progressives Congress, which had nominated Senator Ahmed Lawan from Borno State for the post of senate president and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos State for speaker.

Following the inauguration of the National Assembly on June 9, Saraki and Dogara also bonded and resisted the party’s choices for principal officers in both chambers. Dogara and his Consolidation Group for several weeks resisted making Gbajabiamila Majority Leader, as drama, betrayal, accusation and counter-accusation became a daily occurrence in the proceedings of the House. The Loyalty Group, backers of Gbajabiamila, continued to kick, until Dogara eventually shifted his ground and named the erstwhile Minority Leader as the Majority Leader on July 29.

Unending Controversy

The bad blood generated during the leadership tussle continued, this time in the struggle for the headship of committees. Again, Gbajabiamila alleged he was not consulted for his input and led several members of the loyalist group to shun the swearing in of the chairmen and deputies of the 96 standing committees.

The upset caused by the composition of the chairmen and deputies was enormous, as several APC members accused the Speaker of favouring the opposition Peoples Democratic Party by allocating 48 per cent of the chairmanship slots to them while the APC got 50 per cent. The Speaker was also accused of handing over the headship of key committees, regarded as juicy, to the opposition members as reward for their support during the contest for Speakership.

By the time it settled down to business and was able to soothe frayed nerves, it was December. The National Assembly rounded off activities for last year with the laying of the 2016 budget proposal by President Muhammadu Buhari at a joint sitting.

Controversial Budget

This year opened for the National Assembly on a contentious note. The budget, tagged “Budget of Change” by the Buhari government, quickly became a budget of controversy, when the Senate declared its copy missing. The House was, however, quick to publicly display its own copy and declare it intact. The Senate later noted that that its copy might have been doctored or replaced with another document other than that submitted by the president. The upper chamber point accusing fingers at Buhari’s Senior Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, who curiously remained silent while the saga lasted.

As this was dealt with, it emerged that the budget was full of errors, repetitions and repetitive allocations, leading the PDP members to tag it “the worst ever since 1999”. Lawmakers on three occasions rescheduled its passage date, and eventually passed it just before they embarked on the Easter break.

But the president refused to sign the budget following allegations from the presidency that even though the lawmakers had reduced the size of the budget to N6.03 trillion, they had also padded it by removing key projects of the executive and inserting theirs.

While the senators were adamant that they were done with the budget, and that the president should sign it into law and send any amendment to them, the House played the mediatory role of agreeing to re-examine the budget. A committee later set up, which consisted of the executive and members from both chambers, eventually worked to fine-tune the budget, leading to its signing into law by the president.

Critical Interventions

Early this year, the National Assembly sided with the masses and passed a resolution directing the suspension of increases in electricity tariff by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, which was however disobeyed. A resolution by the Senate had led to the abolition of fixed charges on electricity tariff.

The House, with the backing of the Senate, also intervened in the crisis which rocked the Kogi State House of Assembly following the impeachment of the Speaker by five members out of 20. It announced its takeover of the Assembly, deriving its powers for Section 16 (4) which allows a takeover in the event a state assembly cannot sit for whatever reasons. The House directed the Inspector General of Police to seal the premises.

The takeover bid has, however, been dogged by controversy, as the Attorney General of the Federation directed the IGP to unseal the Assembly. The court has delivered a judgement annulling the impeachment of the Speaker.

The House also waded into the fine imposed on MTN by the Nigerian Communications Commission for failure to disconnect 200,000 unregistered sim cards in contravention of the NCC Act. The House position on the matter, which is still on-going, is that the full fine of N1.04 trillion must be paid. It hinges its argument on the fact that since the Act clearly stipulates N200, 000 per unregistered sim, reducing the fine can only be carried out by an amendment to the Act.

On its part, a probe by the Senate saved the country N20 billion from the implementation of the Treasury Single Account policy, and exposed abuse of import duty waivers on rice.

Bills, Motions

By the end of 2015, from the time of the inauguration of the eighth House, 327 bills were introduced for first reading while 133 were introduced for the first time by the end of the first quarter of 2016. Many of the bills have scaled through second reading, while others are being worked on at the relevant committees. Two Executive Bills, the Appropriation Bill 2016 and the FCT Statutory Appropriation Amendment Bill, were passed in this year.

Recently, a controversial pro-sharia bill passed through second reading. It seeks to amend sections 262 and 277 of the 1999 Constitution to increase the jurisdiction of the Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory and Sharia Court of Appeal of a State. The House has tried to allay fears about the bill, explaining that it seeks to increase the powers of the cited Sharia courts, to include criminal cases. The bill is a matter of constitutional review, to which committee it was referred.

The House, just this week, also passed 10 amendments to the Code of Conduct Bureau Act, through second reading. The amendment removes oversight powers from the president and places them in the National Assembly. The Senate had been forced to drop proceedings for the amendments following allegations that it was meant to suppress the CCT, which is currently trying the senate president.

A social media bill was also dropped by the Senate after accusations it was being done to stifle the freedom of expression among Nigerians.

Critical Bills in the House

They include:

Terrorism (Amendment) Act Bill, to raise prison terms for terrorism offences and remove ambiguities in the relevant clauses, revising the Act to conform to current realities the fight against terrorism;

Economic Stimulus Bill, to stimulate the economy by setting aside 40 per cent of Nigeria’s annual budget for capital projects in the next 10 years starting from 2017;

Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Bill, an executive bill to provide for the repeal of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012, to make comprehensive provisions to prohibit the laundering of criminal activities, expand the scope of money laundering offences, provide protection for employees of various institutions, bodies and professions who may discover money laundering, enhance due diligence, provide appropriate penalties, and address challenges self-regulatory agencies face in the implementation of a comprehensive anti-money laundering regime in Nigeria.

The House also passed several critical resolutions, including those on security, corruption and economy. In November 2015, it rejected a motion calling for population control, due to cultural and religious sensibilities of Nigerians evident in the heated debate the topic caused on the floor.

In the eighth Senate, some of the critical bills that have been passed are the Electronic Transaction Law 2015, FCT High Court (Amendment) Law 2015, and Insolvency and Debt Recovery Bill 2015. This is in addition to the review of 54 laws affecting the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

The Senate is also currently considering an amendment to the Public Procurement Act, and the out-dated Railway Act, and like the House, has re-introduced the Petroleum Industry Bill.

In the last one year, 167 bills passed first reading in the Senate, 39 are in second reading stage while six are in third reading state. 162 motions were also considered by the lawmakers.

Sectorial Debate

An innovation in the House is the sectorial debate introduced as part of its legislative agenda, to engage ministers on their plans towards economic diversification. So far, the Ministers of Information/Tourism; Solid Minerals Development; Finance; Agriculture; and Commerce have appeared before the lawmakers at plenary.

On-going Controversy

The biggest issue at the federal legislature now is the on-going trial of the President of the National Assembly, Dr. Bukola Saraki, at the CCT on charges of false declaration of assets.

The Senate drew the ire of the public and was accused of insensitivity in the face of economic realities following its purchase of 38 (out of 109) official jeeps for its members, with the rest on the way. The House has, however, announced that it would also be purchasing a Peugeot 507 for each of its 360 members to be used for oversight duties.

The legislature also continues to draw criticism from members of the public for the cloak secrecy surrounding its budget and expenditure.

The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki has, for the first time, opened up on the intrigues of his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over asset declaration issues and the role of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that his refusal to support a Muslim/Muslim ticket for the APC in the 2015 presidential election is largely responsible for his ordeal.



Saraki who wrote a reply to an earlier article published last Saturday by Dele Momodu in his Pendulum column said the position he took on the running mate issue was his “original sin” and those whose ambition were truncated by the position had been doing everything possible to frustrate him.

He said: “I have also been accused of helping to frustrate some people’s opportunity to emerge as President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate. But I have no problem with anybody. My concern was that it would not be politically smart of us to run with a Muslim-Muslim ticket. I doubt if we would have won the election if we had done this, especially after the PDP had successfully framed us a Muslim party. I felt we were no longer in 1993. Perhaps, more than ever before, Nigerians are more sensitive to issues of religious balancing. This was my original sin.

“What they say to themselves, among other things, was that ‘if he could conspire against our ambition, then he must not realise his own ambition as well.’ For me however, I have no regrets about this. I only stood for what I believed was in the best interest of the party and in the best interest of Nigeria. We have got to that point in our country when we no longer believe that anyone could stand for anything based on principles and convictions alone. Moreover, in the growing culture of media crucifixion and presumed guilt; it is rare to find a voice like yours that calls for fairness and justice.”

Saraki also chided his party for the role it has played so far in his trial. He said: “Let me make this point clearly. I do not expect to be shielded from prosecution because of my contribution to APC, if there was genuine basis for such action to be taken against me. But I have every reason to expect not to be persecuted by the party that I contributed so much to build. The New PDP may not have given APC victory in 2015, but it was an important factor in the dynamics that produced that victory.

“And with all sense of modesty, I was an important factor in the formation of New PDP; in leading that group to the APC; in ensuring our group’s support for the candidate during the primaries and in mobilising substantial resources for the election. For these, I have not expected any special compensation. Rather, I only expect to be treated like every loyal party member and accorded the right to freely aspire.”

On allegations that in seeking to be Senate President, he struck a deal with the PDP and made it possible for one of them to be the Deputy Senate President, Saraki said he knew it was the dominant narrative across the nation, but it was far from the truth.

He continued: “I did not do any deal with the PDP. I did not have to because even before the PDP Senators as a group took the decision to support my candidature on the eve of the inauguration of the 8th Senate, 22 PDP Senators had already written a letter supporting me. What I did not envisage was a situation where some members of my party would not be in the chambers that day, especially when the clerk had already received a proclamation from the President authorising the inauguration of the Senate.

“Pray, if a team refused to turn up for a scheduled match and was consequently walked over, would it be fair to blame the team that turned up and claimed victory? I believe those that made it possible for PDP to claim the Deputy Senate President position were those who decided to hold a meeting with APC senators elsewhere at the time they ought to be in the chambers. What the PDP Senators did was to take advantage of their numerical strength at the material time. They simply lined up behind Senator Ike Ikweremadu while those of us from APC voted for Senator Ali Ndume. It was a game of numbers, and we were hopelessly outnumbered. If the PDP had nominated their own candidate for the Senate Presidency position that day, they would have won. It was as simple as that.”

He said further that his ongoing trial was not about corruption: “I am happy that since my trial started, people who have followed the proceedings have now understood better what the whole thing is about. I have had opportunity to declare my assets four times since 2003. Over those years, the Code of Conduct Bureau had examined my claims. There was no time that they raised any issues with me on any item contained in my declarations over those twelve years. This is why you should be surprised that while I am being tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, the witness and the evidence supplied against me were all from the EFCC.

“Like you, I have an abiding faith in the judiciary. May God forbid the day that we would give up on our judicial system. However, the onus is not on me to prove that I have confidence in the judiciary; the burden is on my prosecutors to prove to the world that justice is done in my case. If the process of fighting corruption is itself corrupt, then whatever victory is recorded would remain tainted and puerile.

“Let me end by observing that I am not alone in this trial. On trial with me in this process is the entire judicial system. On trial with me is our entire anti-corruption institutions and our avowed commitment to honestly fight corruption. On trial with me is our party’s promise to depart from the ways of the past, a promise that Nigerians voted for. And I dare say, on trial with me is our media and their ethical commitment to report fairly and objectively. In the end, it is my earnest hope that whatever we do will ultimately ennoble our country.”

Read Saraki’s full letter in today’s Pendulum on the back page

Let me welcome the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, their Deputies, and Leadership of the National Assembly the Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives, the Acting Clerk of National Assembly, the Senior Management Staff of the National Assembly, Party Leaders and all guests to this dinner.



2.This is first, to mark the 2016 Democracy Day, and further to appreciate the National Assembly Leadership, Membership and Management for the great work they have done in considering and approving as thought fit several Bills and measures submitted by the Executive and those bills originated by the legislatures, which have enabled the Government to function according to law.

3.Let me again appreciate the work of the National Assembly for the painstaking and consensual work they did with the Executive to deliver the 2016 Appropriation Act. It is on record that this is one rare occasion where the Appropriation Act was Assented to with the schedule i.e. the details. This is a good start in our journey of CHANGE.

4.I seize this opportunity to please draw attention to the under listed Bills which have been Submitted to the National Assembly and appeal for accelerated consideration and passage, namely:
1. Bills for Acts for domestication of agreements for avoidance of double taxation between Nigeria and South Korea, Spain and Sweden respectively.
2. Federal Capital Territory Appropriation Bill, 2016.
3. Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Bill 2016.
4. Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016.
5. Statutory Budget of the Niger – Delta Development Commission, 2016.

5. I am conscious that on June 9, 2016, the National Assembly will complete one Legislative year. May I appeal to you to consider and pass these submitted Bills, particularly the Statutory Budget of the Federal Capital Territory, the Niger – Delta Development Commission Budget and the budget of Statutory Corporations. These bodies cannot execute their Statutory mandate nor incur expenditure for the year unless their budgets are approved by the National Assembly.

6.I hereby re – state the commitment of this administration to observe the principles of Separation of Powers which defines and delineates the functions and powers of each arm of Government. Thus far we in the executive have restricted ourselves to our Constitutional roles.

7.Therefore I, as the President, and we as the Executive arm of Government will not interfere in the functions, functioning and process of the Legislature nor the Judiciary. In the same vein, I urge other arms of Government to please appraise and ensure that each action conceived and taken by it is in strict accord with its constitutionally limited powers.

8.I urge you as Legislators and the Legislature to take out time and communicate with your constituents and other Nigerians the policies of the Government which are based on Laws approved by the National Assembly.

9.I look forward to your one Legislative year on the 9th of June 2016. I send the same greetings to members of all the State Houses of Assembly in the country for completing the first Legislative year as we look forward to more active and engaging partnership.

Saturday’s decisive victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Kwara State House of Assembly election in Oke Ero constituency, Mrs. Victoria Bunmi Afolayan, has been attributed to the popularity of the state’s political leader, Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
According to the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC candidate secured 5,346 votes against the 1,248 won by Olusola Adeoti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The ruling party also won in 68 of the 69 polling units which make the 10 wards in the local government area.
In a statement after the official announcement of the results of the election, Hon. Toyin Sanusi, Senior Special Assistant (Political Affairs) to the Senate President, said the victory was a vote of confidence in the leadership of Saraki.
Sanusi who expressed appreciation to the electorate in Oke Ero for trooping out to support the APC candidate in the election despite the situation across the country and in the party said the victory was an indication that Kwara State remains solid in its support for the party leader, Saraki.



“Despite the general economic situation in the country, the fact that the state government lacks the financial capacity to fully pursue its policies and programmes as well as fulfil its responsibilities to the people, in spite of the developments within the APC at the national level, the people have proved that they are still in support of the party leader. This is also in spite of the on-going trial of the leader, Dr. Saraki
“That is why we thank the people for their consistency, devotion and loyalty. With their votes, they have signified their constant support that Kwara is solidly behind Saraki and that is in spite of the fact that some people thought they could capitalise on the travails of the Senate President to erode the influence of the party in the state,” Sanusi said.

Saturday’s decisive victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Kwara State House of Assembly election in Oke Ero constituency, Mrs. Victoria Bunmi Afolayan, has been attributed to the popularity of the state’s political leader, Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
According to the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC candidate secured 5,346 votes against the 1,248 won by Olusola Adeoti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The ruling party also won in 68 of the 69 polling units which make the 10 wards in the local government area.
In a statement after the official announcement of the results of the election, Hon. Toyin Sanusi, Senior Special Assistant (Political Affairs) to the Senate President, said the victory was a vote of confidence in the leadership of Saraki.
Sanusi who expressed appreciation to the electorate in Oke Ero for trooping out to support the APC candidate in the election despite the situation across the country and in the party said the victory was an indication that Kwara State remains solid in its support for the party leader, Saraki.



“Despite the general economic situation in the country, the fact that the state government lacks the financial capacity to fully pursue its policies and programmes as well as fulfil its responsibilities to the people, in spite of the developments within the APC at the national level, the people have proved that they are still in support of the party leader. This is also in spite of the on-going trial of the leader, Dr. Saraki
“That is why we thank the people for their consistency, devotion and loyalty. With their votes, they have signified their constant support that Kwara is solidly behind Saraki and that is in spite of the fact that some people thought they could capitalise on the travails of the Senate President to erode the influence of the party in the state,” Sanusi said.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday night urged the National Assembly to speedily consider and pass five bills presently before it.
He listed the bills to include the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) bill, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Appropriation bill, Mutual Legal Assistant in Criminal Matters bill, Statutory Budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and bill for Acts for domestication of agreements for avoidance of double taxation between Nigeria and South Korea, Spain, and Sweden respectively.
The President made the appeal in his address at the Presidential Dinner in honour of National Assembly members at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.
He specifically noted that the FCT and NDDC cannot execute their statutory mandates unless their budgets are approved by the National Assembly.



Buhari thanked the lawmakers for their painstaking efforts that saw to the passage of the 2016 Budget.
“It is on record that this is one rare occasion where the Appropriation Act was assented to with the schedule in details,” the President said.
He said the dinner was held first to mark 2016 Democracy Day and to further appreciate the National Assembly leadership, membership and management for the great work they have done.
He restated the administration’s readiness to observe the principles of separation of powers.
He added: “Thus far, we in the executives have restricted ourselves to our constitutional roles.”
While promising that the executive will not interfere with the function of the legislature and the judiciary, President Buhari urged the lawmakers to also operate within the confines of their constitutional roles.

What is Good For Tinubu is Not Good For Saraki ?

Buhari’s so-called war on corruption has many faces. On the surface it appears as if something is be­ing done about corruption, but on closer scrutiny, the mask is removed and the corruption war takes shape as a mere in­strument and propaganda tool used to haunt down political opponents and mislead a gul­lible public into believing cor­ruption is being tackled. So far, the ploy seems to have achieved some success as many Nigeri­ans who either do not under­stand what corruption in its totality actually encompass­es or who are just being the usual hypocrites ever so will­ing to apply double standards have wilfully bought the gov­ernments line. But therein lies the danger—for in the ploy of fighting corruption albeit with insincerity and double stand­ards, we end up entrenching more corruption, bastardis­ing what is left of state institu­tions and creating a tyrannical one party state where all forms of opposition are permanently silenced.



This is exactly what is play­ing out in the Saraki Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) tri­al. Sometime in March Saraki’s lead counsel Kanu Agabi had argued before the CCT that since the allegations levelled against Saraki was not differ­ent from that previously lev­elled against the national leader of APC Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in regards to declaration of assets, and since Tinubu was set free on the grounds that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) failed to fulfil the necessary condi­tions that would confer juris­diction on it the same way it also failed to fulfil those con­ditions in regards to Saraki, his client should also be set free.

Notably, the CCB by its own procedural rules is mandatori­ly required to invite alleged of­fenders to explain inconsist­encies in their declared assets before any charges can be initi­ated. In the case of both Tinu­bu and Saraki, the CCB failed to follow these rules and it’s on those grounds that Kanu Aga­bi insisted his client be set free.

Curiously, in rejecting Kanu Agabi’s plea to set Saraki free, the Chairman of the CCT Mr Danladi Umar who himself is subject to an EFCC investiga­tion over an alleged bribe, ad­mitted that the tribunal un­der his Chairmanship did set Bola Tinubu free in 2011 on the grounds that the CCB did not fulfil the necessary con­ditions before filing the case. He however added that free­ing Tinubu was an error which he has no intention of repeat­ing since it’s been overtaken by paragraph 3 (e) of the 1999 constitution. But contrary to Umar’s claim that his decision to reject Agabi’s plea is prem­ised on a constitutional provi­sion that has negated the neces­sity to fulfil certain conditions before initiating a trial; nei­ther the CCT act nor the 1999 constitution as it concerns the CCB has changed since Tinu­bu was freed. A standard prin­ciple in law is that similar cas­es particularly those previously adjudicated on get similar ver­dicts. This is why references to previous cases and verdicts are standard procedures in judicial processes. Why then is the ver­dict for Tinubu different from that of Saraki when the cir­cumstances and the laws are the same?

As bizarre as it gets, it’s ob­vious there is more to it than meets the eye. Someone is cer­tainly beating the drums that Umar is dancing to. Not only does his admission of making an error in freeing Tinubu di­minish his legitimacy, the fact the he is subject to an EFCC in­vestigation for corruption has nullified his fitness to preside over any tribunal. The funda­mentals of justice requires that it must not only be done it must also be seen to be done in a free and fair process without bias, inducement or coercion. How can such fundamentals be guar­anteed with a Judge who is un­der investigation for corruption and who admits freeing a de­fendant on procedural breach­es as set out in the CCT act but refuses to set free another de­fendant under similar circum­stances? This is more so con­sidering the fact that the Saraki CCT saga started only after he went against the wishes of the godfather’s in the APC and emerged the senate president. Prior to emerging the senate president, he was like all PDP politicians who decamped to the APC, an untouchable born again saint and darling of the party. All that changed when he went against the dictates of the godfathers.

There is hardly any Nigerian who would not support a gen­uine and holistic war on cor­ruption, but when the so called war on corruption is reduced to using state institutions like the EFCC, CCT, DSS to fight politi­cal opponents, advance person­al political interests, silence the opposition and in the process weaken/bastardise those insti­tutions, a greater corruption would have been unleashed on the society. When double standards, hypocrisy, persecu­tion and witch-hunting become the standard for fighting cor­ruption, the society is corrupt­ed even more. A good example suffices in the fact that Danla­di Umar publicly declared that Tinubu was freed in error, but when it was suggested that since the Judge admitted free­ing Tinubu in error, he should be re-arrested and prosecuted for fraudulent assets declara­tion, the same people who are calling for Saraki’s head went to great lengths to put up defenc­es on behalf of Tinubu, yet both of them committed exact same offence.

Just recently, Mr Joe Igbokwe the publicity secretary of APC in Lagos who has repeated­ly called for Saraki’s head pub­lished a lengthy article where he laboured not only to defend Tinubu but to lambast those calling for his prosecution. For him and other such hypocrites, Saraki is guilty and should be hanged while Tinubu is a saint that should be left alone even though both are guilty of ex­act same infraction. Such is the double standards and hypocri­sy that drives the so called cor­ruption war. It also goes to show the ultimate insincerity and un­derlying corruption in Buhari’s methods of fighting corruption. Lest we forget; corruption is not only about stealing of public funds—the evident undermin­ing and bastardisation of state institutions, use of state institu­tions to seek personal gain and advance personal political in­terests, inducement, coercion or intimidation of state offi­cials to work for personal inter­ests, silencing of the opposition, shielding corrupt political sup­porters while persecuting polit­ical opponents, disregarding the rule of law etc are the worst and most insidious forms of corrup­tion. Once institutions are per­sonalised and weakened the whole system becomes subject to corruption in all its facets.

Ultimately, the war on cor­ruption will never make sense except the long list of untouch­ables and Buhari protégées are done away with and institu­tions are allowed to function without fear or favour. Sara­ki and Tinubu are guilty of the same infraction and since the Judge has insisted on continu­ing with Saraki’s case, Tinubu’s case should also be re-opened and pursued with vigour. After all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Except this is done, the corruption war will lack legitimacy and will forever be viewed as a mere instrument of persecution and suppression of political opponents.

In six years of Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency, the opposition told us again and again the man was “clueless.” It made sure the tag stuck to him like glue. But now we have a new sheriff in town, with the APC claiming to be better at everything than the PDP. While that might still be subject to debate, there is overwhelming evidence that in the cluelessness department, the PDP is certainly no match for the APC.



Here is a compendium from the APC textbook of cluelessness, provided within barely one year in office. If you want to know how to be a clueless president, this is the APC blueprint.

Blame Game

Instead of giving Nigerians the change you championed, give them excuses. Blame Goodluck Jonathan for everything, including the harmattan. Whenever you make a blunder, pass the buck to the former president. If there is petrol shortage, blame it on Goodluck Jonathan. If the budget is dead on arrival, blame it on Goodluck Jonathan.

In the middle of an economic crisis, promise to provide Nigerians with free education; free meals daily for millions of Nigerian public school-children; free tertiary education; free health-care and free houses. Facing a drastic drop in Nigeria’s income, declare you will be giving grants of N1.5 trillion a year to Nigeria’s poor. When you fail to deliver on any on these highfalutin promises, blame it quickly on Goodluck Jonathan.

Blunders

Forget the name of your vice-presidential running-mate. Call him Yemi Osunbade instead of Yemi Osinbajo. Tell President Obama the name of your political party is the All Nigeria’s Peoples’ Congress when it is All Progressives Congress. Call your party on CNN the All Progressives Confidence.

Tell Al Jazeera INEC means Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission instead of Independent National Electoral Commission. Even though West Germany ceased to exist in 1999 and the current German president is Joachim Gauck, refer to German Chancellor, Angela Merkel as “President Michelle of West Germany.”

Destroy INEC by turning it into a National Commission for Inconclusive Elections. Go to the United Nations and give a rousing speech about fighting Boko Haram, then fail to attend the crucial meeting on Boko Haram at the same U.N. session. Tell the Americans the Chibok girls were abducted from their “hotels” instead of their “hostels.”

Tell Nigerians there is nothing like petroleum subsidy. Then as president, announce the removal of the non-existent petroleum subsidy. Claim Jonathan diverted $700 million from the $1.1 billion Chinese loan for the Lagos/Kano rail project when only $400 million was earmarked for Lagos/Kano rail. Announce that foreign exchange can now be paid into domiciliary accounts without specifying if depositors will be allowed to withdraw them.

Anti-corruption rigmarole

Declare that you will kill corruption in Nigeria while being surrounded and bankrolled by corrupt politicians. Then invite those with corruption allegations hanging over their heads into your cabinet. Maintain: “Jonathan’s ministers stole 150 billion dollars.” But fail to prosecute them for stealing $150 billion. Tell Nigerians $2.1 billion was stolen by the PDP through Dasukigate, but charge people to court for stealing no more than $100 million.

Believe that trying members of the PDP for corruption on the pages of newspapers amounts to waging a serious war on corruption and is a substitute for national economic policy. Say: “We cannot build an economy where corruption is the working capital.” Then declare to no effect that recovered stolen monies will be used to revamp the national economy.

Insist Abacha never stole any money, and then probe the PDP for the mismanagement of the non-existent Abacha loot recovered from abroad. Fail to recognise that with the official exchange-rate at N198 to $1, while the parallel market rate is N305 to $1, you have created the widest parallel market margin ever recorded in Nigeria’s history and laid the foundation for widespread corruption in the banks.

Accuse the opposition of using public funds to finance its election campaign, but fail to disclose where you got the money to finance your own very expensive election campaign. Claim to be so cash-strapped, you had to borrow N27.5 million to pay for the presidential nomination papers of your party; then state in your assets declaration that you have N30 million in your bank account. Commend INEC for running the ostensibly free and fair election that brought you to power; then challenge in court every election conducted by the same INEC that your party lost.

Contradictions

Claim you inherited an empty treasury in spite of the over $30 billion left in our foreign reserves. Say you met no money in the treasury, then spend N2.2 billion on a four-day junket to the U.S. with no agenda and with nothing achieved.

Say: the federal government of Nigeria is: “the biggest Boko Haram.” Then become the head of the federal government of Nigeria. Declare grandiloquently: “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody.” Then say: “The constituents (that) gave me 97% cannot in all honesty be treated on some issues with constituencies that gave me 5%.” Say you belong to everybody but ensure that your personal aides are virtually all Northerners.

Say: “I bear no ill will against anyone on past events. Nobody should fear anything from me. We are not after anyone.” “There will be no paying off old scores. The past is prologue.” Then send EFCC dogs after Elder Godsday Erubebe.

Say: “I pledge myself and the government to the rule of law, in which none shall be so above the law that they are not subject to its dictates, and none shall be so below it that they are not availed of its protection.” Then seek to replace the rule of law with the rule of fear. Go on national television and tell Nigerians you will not be obeying the courts in the cases of Dasuki and Kanu. Interfere in the judicial process by publicly declaring your enemies guilty without trial.

Tell Christiane Amanpour on CNN that you will defeat Boko Haram within two months if elected. Then say you did not say so. Declare that you will defeat Boko Haram by the end of December 2015, then say you only meant to defeat it “technically” after it unleashes mayhem on Maiduguri while you were busy celebrating its fictional defeat.

Say: “Boko Haram is a typical example of small fires causing large fires. An eccentric and unorthodox preacher with a tiny following was given posthumous fame and following by his extra judicial murder at the hands of the police.” Then send troops to massacre hundreds of Shi’ites in Zaria. Involve Nigeria in a Middle Eastern regional struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran by joining the Saudi led anti-terrorist coalition. Open the door for wider terrorist attacks on Nigeria by killing Shi’ites in the North while the Saudis execute Shi’ite mullahs and prisoners in Saudi Arabia.

Prosecute avoidable wars on several home-fronts: against Boko Haramites in the North-east; Shi’ites in the North-west; Biafrans in the South-east; and Niger Deltans in the South-South.

Nonsensical policies

Grind the country to a halt by making yourself Sole Administrator of Nigeria for six months. Squander your vital first 100 days in office doing absolutely nothing; while receiving cheers as “Baba Go-Slow.” Present “body language” as a substitute for policy. Ensure that over N5 trillion is wiped off the Nigerian Stock Exchange within six months of your coming to office.

Promise: “I will stabilise global oil price.” Then watch as the oil price tumbles from $50 to $28 within eight months of your presidency. Also ball-watch as the naira tumbles to a record-breaking N305 to one dollar.

Declare when the country is broke: “I will provide one meal a day for children in public primary schools.” “I will make direct cash transfer of 5,000 naira to the 25 million poorest and most vulnerable citizens.” Propose through your Minister of Science Fiction to create 3.4 million jobs in Nigeria in 2016 through the production of pencils. Plan to have 365 cultural festivals 365 days a year under your Ministry of Culture.

Shout “chanji, chanji” while a large chunk of your party-members are turncoats from the same PDP that ruled the country for the last 16 years. Refer to ministers as noisemakers then establish a Cabinet of ministers. Take six months to choose a cabinet then come out with old cargoes. Tell Nigerians you delayed appointing ministers because you were looking for saints and angels, then appoint many known devils. Say: “The corrupt will not be appointed into my administration.” Then appoint those with corruption allegations hanging over their heads.

Delight in putting square pegs in round holes. Make Kayode Fayemi, who has a Ph.D. in War Studies, Minister for Solid Minerals instead of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Make Professor Anthony Anwukah, a professor of Education and a former vice-chancellor a Junior Minister to a journalist, Adamu Adamu, in the Ministry of Education. Make Solomon Dalong, a former Assistant Inspector of Prisons the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports. Make Muhammadu Bello, who headed the National Hajj Commission for eight years, FCT Minister.

Budgeting

Propose a N6 trillion budget in 2016 for a nation that failed to meet revenue estimates of N4 trillion in 2015. Predicate this on borrowing N2.2 trillion, which requires N1.2 billion daily to service.

Benchmark your budget on the price of oil being $38 in 2016, making it dead on arrival with the oil price falling to $28 within a fortnight of your budget presentation. Fail to anticipate that, once sanctions against Iran are lifted, the oil price will go further down as Iranian oil is added to the international oil glut. Allocate N40 billion to look for oil in the North East in the middle of an oil glut when Nigeria needs to diversify from oil.

Within the framework of a drastic cut in Nigeria’s income, raise the budget for Aso Rock from N6.6 billion in 2015 to N18 billion in 2016. Earmark N3.6 billion for the purchase of several BMW saloon cars! Budget N1.75 billion for feeding in Aso Rock in 2016 when Jonathan only budgeted N530 million in 2015. Allocate only N29 billion to the Ministry of Agriculture, while earmarking N39 billion for the Ministry of Information and Culture.

Present the budget to the National Assembly without first scrutinising it. Present the budget with fanfare, then send someone to steal it from the National Assembly. Present the budget, then withdraw it after reading it. Remember this: when the budget fails, blame it on Goodluck

Arrest and Prosecute #Tinubu Now, #PDP Demands




The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to immediately arrest and prosecute Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos state and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the disclosure by the CCB lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, that he was erroneously discharged by the CCT in the trial for holding 10 foreign accounts contrary to section 7 of the CCB & Tribunal Act, Cap 15 LFN, 2004 as amended.



In a statement by the Lagos state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Taofik Gani, the PDP charged that the “learned SAN made the disclosure in his opposition to the application by Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, that he be discharged.”

“We demand the immediate invitation, arrest and prosecution of Tinubu for violating the laws of the land and breaching public trust by operating several foreign accounts during his tenure as lagos state governor between 1999 and 2007.

“During this period, the state did not witness meaningful developments commensurate to its internally generated revenues and federal government allocations. We strongly believe that those foreign accounts were used to steal Lagos funds.

“It still amazes us how a Tinubu, well known before he became lagos state governor, is now the undoubtedly wealthiest and ‘influential’ personality out of politics in the country. The code of conduct tribunal erroneously discharged but that does not remove the fact that the offence was committed.

“Now that the facts of Tinubu’s erroneous discharge are in the public glare and in the spirit of the hyped anti corruption crusade, president Buhari ought to take a stance and speak out on the proprietary of Tinubu walking free while Saraki, Dasuki, Kanu, are being prosecuted with vigour.

“Alas! Rather, the president and other APC leaders chose to adopt and celebrate a betrayer of public service. The President particularly recently directed the grounding of the Capital city to celebrate Tinubu’s birthday. An unequivocal declaration of loyalty to Tinubu who no doubt bankrolled the president’s election. No doubt that president Buhari is only mouthing anti corruption and cannot summon the gut to prosecute APC leaders.”

The PDP said that Lawyer to Saraki, Kanu Agabi (SAN) applied for Saraki’s discharge on the basis that he was also not invited before he was charged by the CCB, which is similar to Tinubu’s fact of case. They wondered why Tinubu was discharged whereas Saraki continues to be prosecuted even when the surrounding facts are similar.

“The erroneous discharge of Tinubu must be appealed against. Alternatively, Tinubu should be invited, interrogated and prosecuted. He was discharged and not acquitted and there is no time limitation for criminal trial.The PDP cried if Mr. Jacobs the lawyer of the bureau can “described Tinubu’s discharge as wrong and that the tribunal was misled into discharging the former governor,” the former governor should be arrested and prosecuted immediately.”

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack Mr. Malami Abubakar SAN as the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice to save his government and the country from further embarrassment and criticisms.



Citing reasons, CACOL, in a letter sent to the President and made available to journalists on Friday, said: “Mr. President, you will remember that the report of police investigation into the alleged forgery of 2015 Senate Standing Order by some Senators and staff of the Senate was reported to have been submitted to the Government and a DPP’s advice was issued on July 29, 2015, demanding prosecution of certain persons and officers.

“According to Punch Newspaper report of Monday May 9, 2016, page 2,”the legal advice with reference number DPPA/ADV/258/15 recommended that some suspects be prosecuted for criminal conspiracy, forgery, breach of official trust and unlawful assembly”.

“The Minister of Justice, since the assumption of office has consciously and deliberately refused to give effect to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) advice. According to the same newspaper report, Mr. Malami promised Nigerians a decision on this matter within a week as at 2nd of January, 2016 but failed to do anything. It has taken the indicting report of Punch Newspaper in reference for the Attorney General to issue an ultimatum to both Police and DPP’s office for necessary action.

“Again, your Excellency will recall the unnecessary and unwarranted controversy that surrounded the subterranean role of the Minister in the Nigerian Communication Commission NCC fine against the MTN. The Minister was accused of meeting and reaching agreements with MTN without involvement or representatives from the NCC. The Attorney General was publicly accused of meeting, negotiating, agreeing terms and collecting N50 billion on behalf of the government without recourse to both the regulatory agency and supervisory ministry. Local and international criticisms greeted the unprofessional conduct of the Minister and secrecy associated with his negotiation with MTN.

“Also, the Federal House of Representatives had within its Constitutional Mandate, ordered the Inspector General of Police to seal the Kogi State of House of Assembly, so as to forestall further breakdown of law and order in the crisis bedeviled Parliament.

“In a suspicious move and conspiracy between the IGP and Attorney General, an advice of was sorted from AGF by the IGP, leading to the AGF directing the IGP otherwise, almost setting the tone for unnecessary conflict between the Executive and Legislative arms of government. But for the maturity of thetimely intervention of the House Representatives, the crisis of Kogi State House of Assembly could have degenerated to fracas similar to Rivers State House of Assembly in 2016.

“Again, contrary to constitutional provision on the Independence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Malami eroded that constitutionally guaranteed independence by dictating to INEC on the constitutional challenge arising from the sudden death of Kogi State gubernatorial candidate, Abubakar Audu. That meddlesomeness attracted wide condemnation from observers and opposition parties.

“The Minister, on behalf of the government engaged the service and allegedly violated the terms of agreement with an ex-convict, Mr. Georg Uboh. You were reported to have queried the Attorney General over this transaction, in which the Minister was accused of underhand dealings, conspiracy and corruption.

“Meanwhile, it is surprising to read the Attorney General claiming ignorance of Mr. Uboh’s criminal background. His office supervises anti-corruption agencies in the country and could have extracted criminal records of any person or organisation.”

Alleging that there might be other embarrassing acts of negligence committed by the AGF, CACOL stated that it was high time he was replaced by a competent person who can deliver on the tasking and sensitive position of Nigeria’s chief law officer.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WITNESS PROVES THAT SARAKI DECLARED ASSETS ON CROSS

– EFCC detective, Michael Wetkas told the court that Bukola Saraki declared a non-existent property

– Saraki’s lawyer, Paul Usoro was able to prove that the property really did exist

– A heated exchange later ensued over ownership of the property Michael Wetkas, a detective of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, May 11, said Bukola Saraki, the Senate president declared a property that did not exist. Wetkas said this at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) while he was being cross-examined by Paul Usoro, one of the lead counsel to Saraki. According to him, the property which did not exist was said to be at 15b McDonald road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Isotope asked if he stood by his testimony that the property which the defendant declared did not exist, Wetkas replied that any report brought before the court is from investigations carried out. However, Usoro was able to develop facts that meant the property existed while cross-examining the witness. One of the facts was a letter written to a presidential implementation committee, by one Egwuagu, an occupant of the building, in 2008 stating that he was in possession of the property as of 1994. READ ALSO: Saraki’s trial: CCT stands down for an hour “I am still living in the property with my family and can’t abandon it,” according to the engineer when Isotope read out an excerpt of the letter.

Usoro asked Wetkas: “However, in your investigation report, there was nothing indicating that the property was occupied.” Wetkas agreed although initially he disagreed until he was asked to read it out to the court, then he later agreed that it was not there.

Also, the witness read out a report from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) revealing that the property was verified. However, a heated exchange ensued over ownership of the property.

Usoro contended that there were three pieces of property located at McDonald road, Ikoyi, 15, block A and B, and 15b, and that the property in contention might not be that of his client. However, Wetkas agreed that there were three pieces of property in the same area, but did not give further details.

Meanwhile, on Monday, April 18, Wetkas claimed that Saraki bought a property for N522m, which he failed to declare it at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). He claimed the property was bought in the name of Tiny Tee Limited from a Presidential Implementation Committee on landed property between 2006 and 2007. He said the part payment was from GTB account of Carlie Properties and Investment Ltd. Saraki is still undergoing trial at the CCT and has been since September 22.


Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Of Politics Politicking and Compromise: The Dithering if a Party Chairman

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by those who watch them without doing anything - Albert Einstein

I start my address with this quote to refer to the leader and Chairman of our great party, the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. I personally feel a great disappointment and I am at loss at his inability to resolve the huge divisions being created by the ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct (CCT) of the Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki. I do not know what he has done to date on this issue as party chairman but it seems to me that he has done nothing. He might be one of the earliest casualties. Also, we as a Party might have serious difficulties or crumble and divide, if the case is not halted.

Yes, Chief Oyegun is only one man and yes, he is not above the law, but herein lies our problem. It is no longer about him but what we allow to happen if our will is not done. Pulling the strings from a distance to upset a very positive situation out of spite and vindictiveness should not be allowed to happen to such a powerful institution as the senate, especially if we have identified the force as a singular person.

To allow this is to expose our nation's vulnerability. What if it was the president that crossed the line in like manner. Bukola Saraki is a force to be reckoned with or else he would never have emerged as senate president against the wish of the party big wigs. Politics is the study of human behaviour and this clearly rears its head in the power tussle, lobbying and jostling for position after any election. Deploying strategy to get what you want in politics is one sophistication required but throwing the weight of constitutional authority around in order to settle internal wars can have short to medium term destructive effects within and outside the party even onto the nation in general.

The APC seems to have struck a self destruct button in the bid to bring Saraki down and they are so drunk on arrogance, fat on ambition, blind to reason and vision, just to teach Saraki a lesson. To get to the present position the APC is today, must have cost a certain individual billions of naira. It cost many other party chieftains billions of naira to establish control in wards , local government and state constituencies. To be in control of most of the country including the Presidency is a great feat and achievement after 16 years of misrule by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This is a chance in a lifetime that no reasonable party leadership will want to forfeit. Not even the hunger to bring down Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki will be worth that prize.

There are bound to be reprisals. Already, the degree of damage is inherent in press and social media . It is unfortunate that the party chairman is spineless and unable to take decisive steps to neutralise the war of attrition waged against other party members by the likes of Nasir El Rufai and Bola Tinubu. Oyegun has failed to point out to the Executive pointing out the dangers of the partisan hate campaign. The senate President has recently spoken out on why he thinks he is being persecuted and we all can see the reasoning behind his argument. Bola Tinubu is one of the wealthiest Nigerians and he is a prime suspect in the persecution game. The source of his wealth is still unknown but the fact is that he was not wealthy before assuming public office. Today, he walks free with no threat to his freedom or wealth . The same argument goes for majority of the members of this present government and past governments . Babatunde Fashola the present minister for Power, Works and Housing is stupendously wealthy. Ambode the present governor of Lagos State is wealthy. Tunde Fowler the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) boss is a billionaire . Rotimi Ameachi the same. Our holier than though Vice President declared almost assets worth about a billion naira while our the messiah-president is said to have omitted some financial strengths to the CCB like his interest in Panalpina shipping etc. Senator Godswill Akpabio is in the senate we all know his the extent of his wealth. So, he who is without sin let him cast the first stone .

I do not abhor corruption or support it in any form but the motives here are wrong and the real accuser is full of stains of corruption with a very shady background and disgraceful antecedents. His sacrifices and efforts have however vindicated him of any witch hunt in the affairs of putting the nation back on track and so should Bukola Sarakis.

>
> Nigeria is at cross roads and some of our leaders despite their antecedents are necessary ingredients in moving Nigeria forward from this Augean stable. Saraki is one such person. President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Speaker Yakubu Dogora also rank among the best leaders Nigeria has ever put on the saddle. The cohesive nature of the 8th National Assembly and the Executive is unprecedented in our democratic history and speaks great things ahead. However, the clog in the wheel is the on-going persecution of the senate President. Why is it that when Nigeria wants to move forward someone or something always is in the way? The sacrifice is huge and the potential is phenomenal. This Senate president has great potential from his educational background to his outstanding career in politics with ground breaking achievements that are well known to all and sundry.

The purpose of this thesis is to appeal to Chief John Odigie Oyegun to stop making unwarranted pronouncement and live up to the responsibility of his office as party chairman. He must immediately call a truce and put our great Party back on track . He must not accept fatalistic notions of APC loosing the senate president position as a noble sacrifice. We all fought a battle to get to power and we cannot be throwing away our gains because we do not like a party member's face or gut.

Compromise is inimical to the survival of the Buhari Presidency so that it can rally the 8th National Assembly for the impending Judicial reform and revival of the economy. The people must come first . What do the people benefit from the on going crisis. It's a waste of public funds and a diversion of government business just to appease one man who has no locus standi to demand the removal of the senate president either by acts of omission or commission. The truth is that the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the measure of right and wrong . Therefore, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Dr Bukola Saraki should please mend fences for the sake of Nigeria. The people do not deserve any further delay to their enjoyment of dividends of democracy due to this self-imposed imbroglio . As for Oyegun, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. You should be neutral and make peace. It is only peace that can save APC and make it deliver its promise of positive change to the people.

Vincent Obioha is a research fellow in political science and strategic studies in Houston Texas.

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by those who watch them without doing anything – Albert Einstein



I start my address with this quote to refer to the leader and Chairman of our great party, the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. I personally feel a great disappointment and I am at loss at his inability to resolve the huge divisions being created by the ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct (CCT) of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki. I do not know what he has done to date on this issue as party chairman but it seems to me that he has done nothing. He might be one of the earliest casualties. Also, we as a party might have serious difficulties or crumble and divide, if the case is not halted.

Yes, Chief Oyegun is only one man and yes, he is not above the law, but herein lies our problem. It is no longer about him but what we allow to happen if our will is not done. Pulling the strings from a distance to upset a very positive situation out of spite and vindictiveness should not be allowed to happen to such a powerful institution as the senate, especially if we have identified the force as a singular person.

To allow this is to expose our nation’s vulnerability. What if it was the president that crossed the line in like manner? Saraki is a force to be reckoned with or else he would never have emerged as senate president against the wish of the party big wigs. Politics is the study of human behaviour and this clearly rears its head in the power tussle, lobbying and jostling for position after any election. Deploying strategy to get what you want in politics is one sophistication required but throwing the weight of constitutional authority around in order to settle internal wars can have short to medium term destructive effects within and outside the party even onto the nation in general.

The APC seems to have struck a self-destruct button in the bid to bring Saraki down and they are so drunk on arrogance, fat on ambition, blind to reason and vision, just to teach Saraki a lesson. To get to the present position the APC is today, must have cost a certain individual billions of naira. It cost many other party chieftains billions of naira to establish control in wards, local government and state constituencies. To be in control of most of the country including the Presidency is a great feat and achievement after 16 years of misrule by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This is a chance in a lifetime that no reasonable party leadership will want to forfeit. Not even the hunger to bring down Saraki will be worth that prize.

There are bound to be reprisals. Already, the degree of damage is inherent in press and social media. It is unfortunate that the party chairman is spineless and unable to take decisive steps to neutralise the war of attrition waged against other party members by the likes of Nasir El Rufai and Bola Tinubu. Oyegun has failed to point out to the Executive the dangers of the partisan hate campaign. The senate President has recently spoken out on why he thinks he is being persecuted and we all can see the reasoning behind his argument. Tinubu is one of the wealthiest Nigerians and he is a prime suspect in the persecution game. The source of his wealth is still unknown but the fact is that he was not wealthy before assuming public office. Today, he walks free with no threat to his freedom or wealth. The same argument goes for majority of the members of this present government and past governments. Babatunde Fashola the present minister for Power, Works and Housing is stupendously wealthy. Ambode the present governor of Lagos State is wealthy. Rotimi Ameachi the same. Our holier than though Vice President declared almost assets worth about a billion naira while our messiah-president is said to have omitted some financial strengths to the CCB. Senator Godswill Akpabio is in the senate; we all know the extent of his wealth. So, he who is without sin let him cast the first stone.
I do not abhor corruption or support it in any form but the motives here are wrong and the real accuser is full of stains of corruption with a very shady background and disgraceful antecedents. His sacrifices and efforts have however vindicated him of any witch hunt in the affairs of putting the nation back on track and so should Bukola Saraki.
Nigeria is at cross roads and some of our leaders despite their antecedents are necessary ingredients in moving Nigeria forward from this Augean stable. Saraki is one such person. President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Speaker Yakubu Dogora also rank among the best leaders Nigeria has ever put on the saddle. The cohesive nature of the 8th National Assembly and the Executive is unprecedented in our democratic history and speaks great things ahead. However, the clog in the wheel is the on-going persecution of the senate President. Why is it that when Nigeria wants to move forward, someone or something always is in the way? The sacrifice is huge and the potential is phenomenal. This Senate president has great potential from his educational background to his outstanding career in politics with ground breaking achievements that are well known to all and sundry.
The purpose of this thesis is to appeal to Chief John Odigie Oyegun to stop making unwarranted pronouncement and live up to the responsibility of his office as party chairman. He must immediately call a truce and put our great party back on track. He must not accept fatalistic notions of APC losing the senate president position as a noble sacrifice. We all fought a battle to get to power and we cannot be throwing away our gains because we do not like a party member’s face or gut.
Compromise is inimical to the survival of the Buhari Presidency so that it can rally the 8th National Assembly for the impending judicial reform and revival of the economy. The people must come first. What do the people benefit from the ongoing crisis? It’s a waste of public funds and a diversion of government business just to appease one man who has no locus standi to demand the removal of the senate president either by acts of omission or commission. The truth is that the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the measure of right and wrong. Therefore, Tinubu and Saraki should please mend fences for the sake of Nigeria. The people do not deserve any further delay to their enjoyment of dividends of democracy due to this self-imposed imbroglio. As for Oyegun, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. You should be neutral and make peace. It is only peace that can save APC and make it deliver its promise of positive change to the people.
–– Obioha is a research fellow in political science and strategic studies in Houston Texas
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Home Politics Of Politics, Politicking and Compromise: The Dithering of a Party Chairman
Of Politics, Politicking and Compromise: The Dithering of a Party Chairman
May 14, 20160211




0
By Vincent Obioha

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by those who watch them without doing anything – Albert Einstein



I start my address with this quote to refer to the leader and Chairman of our great party, the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. I personally feel a great disappointment and I am at loss at his inability to resolve the huge divisions being created by the ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct (CCT) of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki. I do not know what he has done to date on this issue as party chairman but it seems to me that he has done nothing. He might be one of the earliest casualties. Also, we as a party might have serious difficulties or crumble and divide, if the case is not halted.

Yes, Chief Oyegun is only one man and yes, he is not above the law, but herein lies our problem. It is no longer about him but what we allow to happen if our will is not done. Pulling the strings from a distance to upset a very positive situation out of spite and vindictiveness should not be allowed to happen to such a powerful institution as the senate, especially if we have identified the force as a singular person.

To allow this is to expose our nation’s vulnerability. What if it was the president that crossed the line in like manner? Saraki is a force to be reckoned with or else he would never have emerged as senate president against the wish of the party big wigs. Politics is the study of human behaviour and this clearly rears its head in the power tussle, lobbying and jostling for position after any election. Deploying strategy to get what you want in politics is one sophistication required but throwing the weight of constitutional authority around in order to settle internal wars can have short to medium term destructive effects within and outside the party even onto the nation in general.

The APC seems to have struck a self-destruct button in the bid to bring Saraki down and they are so drunk on arrogance, fat on ambition, blind to reason and vision, just to teach Saraki a lesson. To get to the present position the APC is today, must have cost a certain individual billions of naira. It cost many other party chieftains billions of naira to establish control in wards, local government and state constituencies. To be in control of most of the country including the Presidency is a great feat and achievement after 16 years of misrule by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This is a chance in a lifetime that no reasonable party leadership will want to forfeit. Not even the hunger to bring down Saraki will be worth that prize.

There are bound to be reprisals. Already, the degree of damage is inherent in press and social media. It is unfortunate that the party chairman is spineless and unable to take decisive steps to neutralise the war of attrition waged against other party members by the likes of Nasir El Rufai and Bola Tinubu. Oyegun has failed to point out to the Executive the dangers of the partisan hate campaign. The senate President has recently spoken out on why he thinks he is being persecuted and we all can see the reasoning behind his argument. Tinubu is one of the wealthiest Nigerians and he is a prime suspect in the persecution game. The source of his wealth is still unknown but the fact is that he was not wealthy before assuming public office. Today, he walks free with no threat to his freedom or wealth. The same argument goes for majority of the members of this present government and past governments. Babatunde Fashola the present minister for Power, Works and Housing is stupendously wealthy. Ambode the present governor of Lagos State is wealthy. Rotimi Ameachi the same. Our holier than though Vice President declared almost assets worth about a billion naira while our messiah-president is said to have omitted some financial strengths to the CCB. Senator Godswill Akpabio is in the senate; we all know the extent of his wealth. So, he who is without sin let him cast the first stone.
I do not abhor corruption or support it in any form but the motives here are wrong and the real accuser is full of stains of corruption with a very shady background and disgraceful antecedents. His sacrifices and efforts have however vindicated him of any witch hunt in the affairs of putting the nation back on track and so should Bukola Saraki.
Nigeria is at cross roads and some of our leaders despite their antecedents are necessary ingredients in moving Nigeria forward from this Augean stable. Saraki is one such person. President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Speaker Yakubu Dogora also rank among the best leaders Nigeria has ever put on the saddle. The cohesive nature of the 8th National Assembly and the Executive is unprecedented in our democratic history and speaks great things ahead. However, the clog in the wheel is the on-going persecution of the senate President. Why is it that when Nigeria wants to move forward, someone or something always is in the way? The sacrifice is huge and the potential is phenomenal. This Senate president has great potential from his educational background to his outstanding career in politics with ground breaking achievements that are well known to all and sundry.
The purpose of this thesis is to appeal to Chief John Odigie Oyegun to stop making unwarranted pronouncement and live up to the responsibility of his office as party chairman. He must immediately call a truce and put our great party back on track. He must not accept fatalistic notions of APC losing the senate president position as a noble sacrifice. We all fought a battle to get to power and we cannot be throwing away our gains because we do not like a party member’s face or gut.
Compromise is inimical to the survival of the Buhari Presidency so that it can rally the 8th National Assembly for the impending judicial reform and revival of the economy. The people must come first. What do the people benefit from the ongoing crisis? It’s a waste of public funds and a diversion of government business just to appease one man who has no locus standi to demand the removal of the senate president either by acts of omission or commission. The truth is that the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the measure of right and wrong. Therefore, Tinubu and Saraki should please mend fences for the sake of Nigeria. The people do not deserve any further delay to their enjoyment of dividends of democracy due to this self-imposed imbroglio. As for Oyegun, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. You should be neutral and make peace. It is only peace that can save APC and make it deliver its promise of positive change to the people.
–– Obioha is a research fellow in political science and strategic studies in Houston Texas

There was lack of clarity wednesday at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over the ownership of properties alleged to have been bought by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, from the federal government.

Under cross-examination, the prosecution witness, Mr. Michael Wetkas, told the tribunal that the houses sold to Saraki were privately owned.



This was contrary to the claim by the witness that the properties were bought from the Presidential Implementation Committee for the Sales of Government Houses.

Continuing with the cross-examination, the defence counsel, Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), urged the witness to read aloud, a letter from one of the bidders of the said property to the committee, indicating that the numbering of the properties were ambiguous.

According to the letters, the properties were labelled 15a MacDonald Street, Ikoyi, 15b, MacDonald Street, Ikoyi and Block 15, McDonald Street, Ikoyi, behind another plot of land labelled No. 15 Macdonald Street, Ikoyi.

When asked whether the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited the writer of the letter, Energy Marine Limited, to explain the content, he answered no.

On whether he visited the properties to ascertain the discrepancies in the numbers of the properties, he said he did not but that other members of the team did and reported back to him.

Answering another question, a member of CCT panel asked the witness how he came to the conclusion that 15a and 15b are same as No. 15 and Block 15, MacDonald Street. He said he was not conversant with how properties are number but as investigator, he often relied on the replies from the Lagos Land Registry and the Presidential Committee.
The witness said the presidential committee on sale of government property wrote to say that 15 A, 15 B and one behind the 15 were same.

He said he did not ask the committee on the sale to show him the properties because there was no need.
The witness said he was aware that under the Land Use Act, all land belongs to the government.

He insisted that the 2006 team investigation report stated that 15A and 15 B belonged to Saraki
In an answer to another question on whether the committee listed 15 Macdonald Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, the witness said there was nothing in the list like 15A and 15B.

The matter was adjourned to next week Tuesday for continuation of cross-examination.

Danladi Umar was sleeping in court throughout today

Why me and where are you God?

Truly what you are facing is painful and hurting. Do not easily forget the promise of God in the scriptures saying that:
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it". (1Corinthians 10:13 NKJ )

Bubble or comfort yourself or even shout it out always with the results of the "Why me.." poems written to inspire you, reminding yourself of other people victories over their own test as you also should expect your own victory too with faith and patient over your trials and tribulations.

Why me and where are you God?
Here I am my beloved son/daughter
In My heavenly throne watched when
Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years I later made him president of S.Africa . Trust me Abubarkar Bukola Saraki I will deliver you from Persecutors and evil perpetuators . I am your judge not man.

It is treason for a group of people within or outside the APC to plot to bring down the 3 rd most powerful Nigerian , a sitting Senate President . It is also dangerous for our democracy for such people to use the judiciary and the office of the attorney general of the federation to propagate such acts. The APC can surely break through this witchunt not to talk of th effect this might have on our polity politics and nation. Buhari take note your enemies are at work and Saraki is certainly not against you as all actions have shown from the moment he became Senate President .