The Nigeria Senate has accused President Mohammadu Buhari of sinister plot<\/p>\n
to remove the leadership of the National Assembly, using allegation of
\nforgery.<\/p>\n
The Federal Government had formally accused the President of the Senate,
\nBukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, of forging the 2015 Senate
\nStanding Rules used in electing them to office.<\/p>\n
But Spokesman of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, in a Press
\nStatement issued on Sunday, said the move by the Federal Government is
\naimed at removing the leadership of the National Assembly and a violation
\nof the independence of the National Assembly.<\/p>\n
The Statement reads:<\/p>\n
1. After reading in the national newspapers and online platforms of the
\nplanned charges of forgery and conspiracy preferred against the Senate
\nPresident, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu,
\nimmediate past Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and
\nthe Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Ben Efeturi and reviewing the circumstances
\nleading to the filing of these charges, we are compelled to alert the good
\npeople of Nigeria and the international community, that our democracy is
\nin danger and that the attempt by the Executive Arm of the Federal
\nGovernment to muzzle the legislature and criminalise legislative processes
\nin order to cause leadership change in the National Assembly is a return
\nto the era of impunity and lack of respect for due process which we all
\nfought to abolish.<\/p>\n
2. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to please call his Attorney General
\nand Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to order. The Senate of the
\nFederal Republic voted freely to elect its leadership into office and
\ncontinuing attempts to change that leadership through the wanton abuse of
\njudicial processes cannot stand in the eyes of the world. It is clear that
\nthe Attorney General and party leaders behind this action either lack the
\nunderstanding of the underlining principles of constitutional democracy,
\nthe concept of Separation of Powers, checks and balances and parliamentary
\nconvention or they just simply do not care if the present democracy in the
\ncountry survives or collapses in their blinded determination to get Saraki
\nand Ekweremadu by all means necessary, including abuse of office and
\nsacking the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
\n3. The Nigerian people have enough economic hardship at this time
\nrequiring the full attention and cooperation of the three arms of
\ngovernment, instead of these attempts to distract and politicise
\ngovernance. We are in a state of economic emergency such that what the
\nNational Assembly needs at this time are executive bills and proposals
\naimed at resolving the crises of unemployment, currency depreciation,
\ninflation, crime and insecurity. What the National Assembly needs now are
\nexecutive bills to build and strengthen institutions to earn revenues,
\nfight corruption and eliminate waste. Instead, we are getting hostile
\nactions aimed at destabilising the National Assembly, distracting Senators
\nfrom their oversight functions and ensuring good and accountable
\ngovernance.
\n4. We must make it clear here to the individuals in the Executive arm and
\nparty leadership behind these plots not to mistake the maturity and hand
\nof co-operation being extended to the Presidency by the legislature as a
\nsign of weakness. The National Assembly bent backwards to accommodate
\nvarious infractions and inefficiencies in pursuit of inter-arms
\nco-operation and national interest. We did not follow up the various
\ninfractions because we believe there are bigger issues which the
\ngovernment has to attend to in order to ensure that every Nigerian have
\nfood on his table and live confortably in a secure environment. We know
\nthat the country is actually in a state of economic emergency and all
\nhands must be on deck.<\/p>\n
5. This latest plot is directed at forcing a change of leadership in the
\nSenate or, in the extreme case, ground the Red Chamber of the National
\nAssembly. Or how do one interpret a move in which the two presiding
\nofficers are being set up to be remanded in Kuje Prison or incapacitated
\nfrom sitting at plenary through a day-to-day trial on a matter that is
\npurely an internal affair of the Senate.
\n6. This obviously is a dangerous case of violation of the independence of
\nthe legislature, undue and unnecessary interference in the internal
\naffairs of the Senate and blatant abuse of the judicial process. The
\nmatter now being criminalised was brought to the plenary of the Senate in
\nsession, over a year ago. And because it had no support, it was overruled
\nand roundly defeated in chambers. To now take a matter that was resolved
\non the floor of the Senate to the police and then make it form the subject
\nof a criminal prosecution of freely elected legislators beats all
\nimagination of free thinking men all over the world. The implication is
\nthat any matter that fails on the floor of the National Assembly will now
\nbe taken to the Police, thereby endangering every Senator and House
\nmember. This current move clearly runs contrary to the Doctrine of
\nSeparation of Powers and Checks and Balances which are fundamental to the
\nsuccessful operation of the Presidential System of government. It runs
\ncounter to the principle outlined by the Supreme Court in the Adesanya Vs
\nSenate case where it was held that nobody should seek to use the courts to
\nachieve what he or she has failed to push through on the floor of the
\nNational Assembly.<\/p>\n
7. This present efforts, therefore, is clearly a coup against the
\nlegislature with the ignoble aim to undermine its independence and subject
\nthe law making institution to the whims and caprices of the executive. It
\nis a plan to return Nigeria to the dictatorial era which we have, as a
\nnation, voted to reject. It is a dangerous trend with grave implications
\nfor the survival of our democracy and the integrity of the component
\ninstitutions. This rule of men as against the rule of law is also the
\nreason why the War Against Corruption, one of the cardinal objectives of
\nthe present administration, is losing credibility because people perceive
\nit to be selective and, in most cases, aimed at settling political or
\npartisan scores.<\/p>\n
8. The Rules of the Senate and how the institution elects its leadership
\nare internal affairs. The Rules of a new Senate are provided by the
\nNational Assembly bureaucracy. It has always been so since 1999. After the
\ninauguration of the Senate, if Senators have objections to any part of the
\nRules, they can follow the procedure for changing it. Senators of the
\nEighth Senate have no control on the rules applied in the elections of
\nJune 9, 2015 because until after their inauguration, they were only
\nSenators-elect, and therefore mere bystanders in the affairs of the
\nSenate.
\n9. We therefore urge all Nigerians and the International Community to rise
\nup and condemn this blatant attempt to subject the legislature to the
\ncontrol, whims and caprices of the executive. If the Legislative branch
\nfalls, democracy fails as there will be no other institution empowered by
\nthe Constitution to check and balance the enormous powers of the Executive
\nbranch. We also call on the judiciary as the last hope to save our
\nconstitutional democracy and stand up for the rule of law, by doing that
\nwhich is right in this case.<\/p>\n
Signed<\/p>\n
Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi
\nChairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs
\nJune 19, 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Nigeria Senate has accused President Mohammadu Buhari of sinister plot to remove the leadership of the National Assembly, using allegation of forgery. The Federal Government had formally accused the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n