SAN FRANCISCO, June 19, (THEWILL) – Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Chairman, Senate committee on media and public affairs, has declared that the planned charges of forgery and conspiracy preferred against the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, is a return to the era of Impunity and lack of respect for due process.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Senator stated that the action is being carried out in order to change the leadership of the Senate through wanton abuse of judicial processes which must not be allowed to stand.
“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,” he stated.
“We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to please call his Attorney General and Minister of Justice 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.
“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.
“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 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.
“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.”
Story by David Oputah
