Resign or face your trial, government tells Saraki, Ike Ekweremadu

R-L: Senate President Abubakar Bukola
Saraki, and his Deputy , Ike Ekweremadu
the Federal High Court, Abuja, for alleged
forgery of Senate Rule. PHOTO: GBEMIGA
OLAMIKAN


The Federal Government has hit back at the
Senate President Bukola Saraki and his
deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, over statements
they made last Tuesday after they were
arraigned for allegedly forging the Standing
Rules of the upper legislative chamber.
The government said it would be better for
Saraki and Ekweremadu to either
honourably resign or face the judicial
process.
The Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, said
statements issued by both Senate leaders
targeting the government and President
Muhammadu Buhari as an individual as if
the executive arm was the initiator of the
forgery case against them was not
acceptable.
Lawal who also signed a statement
yesterday said the separate comments by
“the two leaders of the Senate also gave
this erroneous impression that by their
arraignment, it is the entire Senate and
indeed, the legislative arm of government
that is on trial. They want the public to
believe that their prosecution is in utter
disregard by the executive arm of
government for the constitutional
provisions of separation of powers and
that preferring the forgery case against
them is a vendetta exercise.”
He said the two separate statements
conveyed ‘‘messages that are far from
being complementary to the person and
government of President Muhammadu
Buhari.’’
‘‘Senator Saraki in his statement clearly
insinuated that Mr. President is not in
control of his administration and that a
cabal now runs the federal administration.
‘‘On the part of Senator Ekweremadu, he
insists that President Buhari is exhibiting
dictatorial tendencies that can derail our
democracy.”
Although he said the case is in court and
the judicial process must be allowed to take
its course, Lawal absolved the executive
arm of government of blame, saying: “It is
important to emphasize that this case
involves only the four accused persons and
should not be presented to the
unsuspecting public as involving the entire
Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The complaint leading to the forgery
investigation was reported to the police by
some aggrieved senators who specifically
accused certain persons. It is not the Senate
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is
involved and definitely not the House of
Representatives.
‘‘To bring the National Assembly as a body
into this court case is totally unwarranted. It
can only be for other purposes and reasons
outside the investigation and legal
proceedings.”
He explained further that it was a case of
alleged forgery, which cannot be preferred
against an institution but on individual.
Citing the case of former Speaker Salisu
Buhari, who forged a certificate showing
that he graduated from a Toronto
University, Lawal said: “What he did was to
resign, honourably. The matter did not even
go to court. In that particular case, it was
never orchestrated as a matter for the
National Assembly. The individual involved
did not drag the entire legislature into the
matter.”
Lawal contended that the two statements
by the Senate chiefs were indeed
contradictory as Saraki believes the
President has abdicated his powers,
allowing a cabal to be in charge of federal
administration, while Ekweremadu said
Buhari has become a dictator.
Lawal added: “Our democracy is still
evolving and being deepened. The
provisions of the separation of powers are
entrenched in our Constitution and should
guide everyone in our conduct. The rule of
law is indeed supreme. This particular case
is before the judiciary and is not being
decided by the executive arm of
government.
“All that has transpired is still within the
confines of our laws. These are the rights to
accuse, to be investigated and be arraigned
before the court. To impute other
considerations to the process is
unfortunate. We should allow the process
to take its course, in consonance with the
dictates of the law and total obeisance to
the cardinal democratic principle of the
separation of powers.”