‘,,… Your statement is ridiculous and a mere fiction- Presidency
With the arraignment of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and two bureaucrats at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja over alleged forgery case of the 2015 Standing Order, the Senate President in a statement he signed and made available to National WAVES said there is a government within the Buhari’s government and those that have formed this government are using it for pursue and working towards their evil and nefarious agenda adding that it is just a matter of time before Nigerians will lose faith in the All Progressives Congress (APC)
Saraki submitted that President Muhammudu Buhari was not in charge of government as a cabal has taken over its government.
According to Saraki at a time the APC government led by President Buhari is supposed to tackle the numerous challenges facing the country, it has succeeded in distracting the legislature from carrying out its legislative duties.
Saraki’s statement read “Today, we leaders of the Nigerian Senate reiterate our innocence against the charge filed by the Attorney General of the Federal government of Nigeria at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on the allegation of forgery of the Senate Standing Rules document.
“In our view, the charges filed by the Attorney General represent a violation of the principle of Separation of Powers between the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch as enriched in our constitution. Furthermore, it is farcical to allege that a criminal act occurred during the Senate procedural actions the mere suggestion demonstrates a desperate overreach by the office of the Attorney General, These trumped up charges is only another phase in the relentless persecution of the leadership of the Senate.
This misguided action by the Attorney General begs the question. How does this promote the public interest and benefit the nation? At a time when the whole of government should be working together to meet Nigeria’s many challenges, we are once again distracted by the Executive Branch”s inability to move beyond a leadership election among Senate peers and Executive Branch participants
“Over the past year, the Senate has worked to foster good relations with the Executive Branch. It is in all our collective interest to put aside divisions and get on with the nation’s business. We risk alienating and losing the support of the very people who have entrusted their national leaders to seek new and creative ways to promote a secure and prosperous Nigeria. As leaders and patriot, it is time to rise above partisanship and to move forward together.
“However, what has become clear is that there is a new government within the government of President Buhari who have seized the apparatus of Executive powers to pursue their nefarious agenda
“The latest onslaught on the Legislature represents a clear and present danger to the democracy Nigerians fought hard to win and preserve. The suit filed on behalf of the federal government suggests that perhaps some forces of the Federal Republic have not fully embraced the fact that the Senate’s rules and procedures govern how the legislative body adjudicates and resolves its own disputes.
“Let it be abundantly clear, both as a citizen and as a foremost Legislator, I will continue to rise above all the persecutions and distraction that have been visited on me. In the words of Martin Luther King Junior “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moment of comfort and conveniences but where he stands at a time of challenge and controversy.
“I will remain true and committed to the responsibilities that my citizenship and my office impose on me. Without doubt, the highest of those responsibilities is the steadfast refusal to surrender to the subversion of our democracy and the desecration of the Senate. This is a cross I am prepared to carry.
“If (my not) yielding to the nefarious agenda of a few individuals who are bent in undermining our democracy and destabilizing the Federal government to satisfy their selfish interests is the alternative to losing my personal freedom. Let the doors of jail be thrown open and I shall be a happy guest”
But responding to Saraki’s outburst, President Buhari said in statement issued by his Special adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina that no cabal has hijacked his government adding that Saraki’s allegation was a mere invention of Saraki and it is not even worth the paper on which it was written as anybody can wake up from a troubled sleep and say anything.
According to the President Buhari ‘This claim by Senator Saraki would have been more worth the while, if it had been backed with more information. If he had proceeded to identify those who constitute the government within the government, it would have taken the issue beyond the realm of fiction and mere conjecture.
“But as it stands, the allegation is not even worth the paper on which it was written as anybody can wake up from troubled sleep and say anything”
-Jimmy Enyeh
