A total of 19 political parties met in Abuja, on Wednesday, and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene; not to stop the tribulation of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), but to ascertain
that the process of the fight against corruption by his regime did not culminate up being even more corrupt than the corruption it sought to eliminate. The parties maintained that equity should not only be done in Saraki's case, as well as any other case, but that it should be glaringly optically discerned to be done.
Verbalizing on behalf of the parties, the national chairman of Labour Party, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, insisted that the parties held the view that if it was true that Saraki was being endeavored because of the internal politics of his party, that in itself would represent an abuse of public trust and a grand act of corruption.
Tax payers' mazuma should not be wasted in settling political scores and the rest of the country need not be dragged into the APC internal squabbles," he verbalized.
The national chairman, however, verbally expressed if the tribulation was about reinforcing probity and accountability in public office, the parties gave their fortification, even as they insisted that equity must be optically discerned to have been done in the entire process.
According to him, the parties had ample reasons to believe that the Senate President was singled out for persecution because he emerged against the wish of his party leadership.
The national chairman, however, verbally expressed if the tribulation was about reinforcing probity and accountability in public office, the parties gave their fortification, even as they insisted that equity must be optically discerned to have been done in the entire process.
According to him, the parties had ample reasons to believe that the Senate President was singled out for persecution because he emerged against the wish of his party leadership.
He verbalized: "We want to put on record that we are solidly behind President Muhammadu Buhari's fight against corruption, a fight we believe is crucial to the survival of our country.
"We, however, wish to note that this is not the first time a president of this country would be declaring war against corruption. In fact, the reason corruption is still a primary issue for the Buhari-led administration is that antecedent endeavors have not been as prosperous as they should be.
"We aver that one of the major obstacles in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, over the years, is the way and manner it has been fought so as to give the impression that the fight is selective and targeted only at perceived enemies of regime.
"Once an anti-corruption action is perceived as politically-incentivized, then the entire war against corruption facilely gets reduced to an expedient of settling political scores rather than genuine commitment to fighting corruption
"We are trepidacious that if care is not taken, the President Buhari's avowed commitment to fighting corruption may end up in the way of his predecessors.
"The manner that Saraki's tribulation has proceeded at the Code of Conduct Tribunal gives us earnest reasons to be concerned that there is the authentic possibility that equity may not be done.
"For avoidance of doubt, we optate to reiterate that we are not in any way canvassing that Saraki should not be endeavored. We are only insisting that the tribulation should follow the due process of law and be transparent. This is the only way the outcome would be credible and acceptable to all denizens and the rest of the world."
"We, however, wish to note that this is not the first time a president of this country would be declaring war against corruption. In fact, the reason corruption is still a primary issue for the Buhari-led administration is that antecedent endeavors have not been as prosperous as they should be.
"We aver that one of the major obstacles in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, over the years, is the way and manner it has been fought so as to give the impression that the fight is selective and targeted only at perceived enemies of regime.
"Once an anti-corruption action is perceived as politically-incentivized, then the entire war against corruption facilely gets reduced to an expedient of settling political scores rather than genuine commitment to fighting corruption
"We are trepidacious that if care is not taken, the President Buhari's avowed commitment to fighting corruption may end up in the way of his predecessors.
"The manner that Saraki's tribulation has proceeded at the Code of Conduct Tribunal gives us earnest reasons to be concerned that there is the authentic possibility that equity may not be done.
"For avoidance of doubt, we optate to reiterate that we are not in any way canvassing that Saraki should not be endeavored. We are only insisting that the tribulation should follow the due process of law and be transparent. This is the only way the outcome would be credible and acceptable to all denizens and the rest of the world."
Meanwhile, Nigerians in Diaspora Group for Rule of Law, on Wednesday, described the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, as a victim of persecution that was being made to look homogeneous to prosecution for alleged corruption offences, verbalizing the issues were being deliberately confounded to achieve the vindictive goals of some highly-placed individuals.
According to the group, "the supposed tribulation of Senator Bukola Saraki was already concluded and a culpable verdict passed in the media and court of public opinion afore the Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting congruously got underway."
The group, consequently, contravened those asking for his resignation, admonishing that critical national institution like the CCT might be irreparably damaged, if continually deployed as an instrument of oppression as opposed to anti-corruption assets that it was betokened to be.
According to the group, "the supposed tribulation of Senator Bukola Saraki was already concluded and a culpable verdict passed in the media and court of public opinion afore the Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting congruously got underway."
The group, consequently, contravened those asking for his resignation, admonishing that critical national institution like the CCT might be irreparably damaged, if continually deployed as an instrument of oppression as opposed to anti-corruption assets that it was betokened to be.
Ostensibly reacting to the several calls for Saraki's resignation, including from another Amalgamated Kingdom-predicated group, the group, in a verbalization issued and endorsed by Collins Achaluda, a facsimile of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune, in Abuja, then urged Nigerians to authoritatively mandate prosecution of public officers that were being inculpated of corruption as opposed to their being persecuted.
It asserted that Saraki would not have been dragged afore the CCT, if he had not dared to challenge the establishment's endeavor to impose another candidate as President of the Senate.
It asserted that Saraki would not have been dragged afore the CCT, if he had not dared to challenge the establishment's endeavor to impose another candidate as President of the Senate.
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