Senate President Bukola Saraki has alleged that
there is a government within President Muhammadu Buhari’s government using
their executive powers to persecute the leadership of the Senate.
Saraki made the
allegation in a statement on Monday after he, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu;
and two others were arraigned for an alleged forgery.
Saraki said leadership
of the Senate was innocent of the charges and the executive arm of government
was only acting to satisfy a hidden agenda.
“What has become clear is that there is now a
government within the government of President Buhari that has seized the
apparatus of executive powers to pursue a nefarious agenda,” he said in a
statement posted on his official Facebook page.
Saraki also described
the charges levelled against the Senate leadership as a violation of principles
of separation of power.
He said, “In our view,
the charges filed by the Attorney General represent a violation of the
principle of the separation of powers between the Executive Branch and the
Legislative Branch as enshrined in our Constitution.
“Furthermore, it is
farcical to allege that a criminal act occurred during Senate procedural
actions and 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. It was not an election of
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 of our collective interests 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 patriots, it is time to rise above partisanship and to move forward
together.”
According to the Senate
President, 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 in 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,” he added.
He vowed that he
would “continue to rise above all the persecution and distraction that
have been visited on me”.
-Punch
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