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- By Abidemi ‘Femi.
The Network of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria, has maintained a sharp division over the present travails if the Senate President, Dr. Olubukola Saraki.
The coalition for the first time is finding it difficult to assume a common stance over the younger Saraki ‘scandal,’ even as they maintained a sharp divide over the issue.
The cracks in the wall of the various Civil Society Organizations became noticeable, following the support given to the Senate President by a section of the coalition and the condemnation, viz-a-vis, call for the resignation of Speaking as Senate President.
While a section if the coalition had condemned what it called “the attempts by the Nigerian Police to malign, ridicule and embarrass the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki,” another, coalition of civil organisationson Friday, demanded the immediate resignation of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
The group noted that the demand for Saraki’s resignation, follows reports that he was allegedly involved in the recent robbery of some commercial banks in Offa, Kwara State.
The organisation also premised its demand on Saraki’s non-declaration of his assets and killings of over 33 persons in Kwara State by political thugs.
“We hereby affirm that Dr Saraki forthwith resigns as president of the Senate or risk impeachment.
“Failure of the above before June 12, 2018, we shall mobilize Nigerians across the country to occupy the National Assembly until Saraki is impeached for gross abuse of office and financial impropriety as well as criminal charges pending against him”, the group stated.
The Coalition of Civil Society for Good Governance and Democracy (CCSGGD) also recalled that Saraki’s corruption trial with the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, over his alleged non-assets declaration was still ongoing.
It insisted that the path to honour for the Senate President was to step aside to clear his name.
The Convener of the group, Alhaji Adamu Kabiru, who led other groups comprising labour unions, trade unions and Joint Action Committee (JAC), at a press conference in Jos, challenged members of the 8th Senate to do the needful by immediately impeaching Saraki as Senate President should he fail to resign.
According to him, such development would bring sanity and restore the lost glory to the upper chamber of the National Assembly in particular and Nigeria in general.
The group said it regretted that Nigeria had become a laughing stock in the international community because of the many corruption cases allegedly involving Saraki, and accused him further of seeking revenge against President Muhammadu Buhari and some appointees in the crime and anti-corruption agencies.
Kabiru accused Saraki of leading the National Assembly to threaten President Buhari with impeachment following his latest problem with the Nigeria Police.
“To this end, how then will Dr Saraki continue to stay in office as President of the Senate? It has never been this bad for our country, “Alhaji Kabiru, who led Mrs Sharon Ngozi Okpara from trade unions, Bisong Jonathan
While urging Saraki to withdraw and apologize to Nigerians for the fraudulent and selfish resolutions reeled out at the joint sitting of the National Assembly for self seeking benefits, Alhaji Kabiru, who led Mrs Sharon Ngozi Okpara from trade unions, Bisong Jonathan, averred that “it has never been this bad for this country. ”
The group which further urged President Buhari to prevail on the police and security agencies to thoroughly investigate Dr Saraki, threatened to “mobilize Nigerians to occupy the Aso rock villa on June 12.2018 until Saraki steps aside from the seat of the President of the Senate,” pleaded with Buhari to “henceforth cease further negotiations with Dr Saraki and his gang of saboteurs as this act of statemanship from the president is emboldening him to take the country for his father’s estate.”
Continuing, the group added: “We are resolved on a petition to the ECOWAS parliament, European Union, UK parliament, US Congress and United Nations to beware of Saraki and his cohorts.
“We are committed on peacefully occupying the embassies of five most powerful countries in Nigeria, namely, USA, UK, China, Russia , Japan in protest until Dr Saraki is impeached for gross abuse of office and financial impropriety as well as criminal charges pending against him.
“We hold all these demands to be self evident that we are all owners of this republic and on no account should it be sublet to one single individual as it is currently within the grip of Dr Abubarka Bukola Saraki…
“As if this retinue of garbage was not enough, only a few weeks ago, the country was greeted with the news of the most gruesome robbery attack in the last 20 years, where over 39 Nigerians lost their lives including police officers and pregnant women, in Offa town of Kwara State. Sadly, very sadly enough, investigations of the Nigerian police had established links of the arrested gang members with Saraki.
“Our legislature has never had it this bad. The leadership of the 8th Senate purely is in the hands of a wrong man who is obviously on the wrong ark and path to self destruction and sedition.
“Our democracy is under attack and imminent destruction. Our democracy in fact has been hijacked by a few privileged persons for personal political and economic gains to the detriment of the entire country…
“We are saddened as Nigerians because this is the same man who had his father benefit maximally from democracy…
“This is the same man who had his father serve as senate leader , this is the same man who had benefited from stable democracy as a two term governor , senator and now Senate President.
“Indeed, if there’s anyone who should uphold the tenets of democracy in this country, it should be Dr Saraki. But unfortunately, he has chosen the inglorious part of leading a pack against the whole country just to massage his ego and serve his own selfish purpose.
“Of course , a man who could rebel against his own father can rebel against anyone, but he needs to understand that Nigeria is bigger than the Saraki estate bequeathed to him by his late father.
“He needs to understand, that people have paid the supreme price for democracy to be introduced and established in this country.
“Saraki needs to appreciate that he has been allowed for too long to reap from a system that he has not added any value over the decades,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, rising in defence of Saraki, was a statement signed by three officials of the Civil Society Groups, namely: National Coordinator, Comrade Kalu Victor, Ijewa Zeb Obioma, National Secretary and Balarabe, I. Musa, National Publicity Secretary made available to Sundiata Post on Friday.
According to the Civil Society Groups, the rate at which opposing and dissenting voices are hounded as though we were in a military regime speaks more in agreement with those elder statesmen who have bravely accused and labeled the present administration as dictatorial.
“This is not good for democracy! These negative indications have merely portrayed the current administration as amenable to dictatorship,” Kalu said, adding, “If this is allowed to persist, there are already fears that our nascent democracy and all that the Nigerian people have had to go through to get this far in achieving democratic civilization could be easily misconstrued and, possibly, lost.”
Titled: “The conspiracy and orchestrations by the Nigerian police to malign, ridicule, embarrass and demystify the offices, character and persons of The Senate President, Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki, And The Executive Governor Of Kwara State, His Excellency, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed,” the statement read in part.
In its preamble, the civil coalition group stated that, “For quite some time, the Nigerian public has been treated to all manner of inglorious news about the frosty and near cut throat relationship between the Red Chambers of the National Assembly – the Senate and the Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police. All these were emanations from the Inspector-General’s refusal to honour an innocuous invitation extended to him by the much respected Nigeria Senate.
“It could be said that most Heads of security outfits and agencies appointed by the Buhari regime have little or no regard for the 8th National Assembly as constituted.”
Detailing the issue, the group noted, “Most importantly, following the apparent discomfort of President Muhammadu Buhari to work with Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President, which has led to the no- love- lost relationship between the leadership of the Nigerian Senate and the Presidency, the unwillingness of the Controller-General of Nigeria Customs, the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force to honour and accord the Nigerian Senate its due respect, has not augured well for smooth democratic experiences and good governance initiatives.
“The Nigerian masses have always had to bear with incessant sordid controversies and confrontations between the senate and such agencies or departments at one time or another.
“These have occurred in manners and dimensions suggestive of calculated and seeming deliberate motives to make mockery and ridicule the leadership of the National Assembly. This trend can no longer be tolerated by Nigerians. This is the place of the Civil Society groups to speak out in defence of the noble tenets of democracy and civil rule,” the statement further read.
While expressing its observation of the entire drama, the coalition stated, “Recently, the Nigeria Police have had to pick on leading figures in the Senate. Their last encounter with Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye had drawn heart rending public outcry to the point that the much politicized and expected recall of the Senator by his constituency proved a woeful failure.
“It was, therefore, believed that the life threatening harsh ordeal which Senator Dino underwent at the hands of the police after the recall failed was consequent upon his unexpected victory at the recall ground,” it noted.
Continuing, it stated, “More so, the plan by the police authorities to rope the Senate President, Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki, the Executive Governor of Kwara state, His Excellency, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and their close associates into the Offa bank robbery incident has been seen as a vendetta and vindictive move by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in reaction to the persona non grata status which the Senate was forced to declare him due to his vehement refusal to honour a harmless invitation which the hallowed Chambers had extended to him.
“This is not good for democracy! These negative indications have merely . The rate at which opposing and dissenting voices are hounded as though we were in a military regime speaks more in agreement with those elder statesmen who had bravely accused and labeled the present administration as dictatorial.
“If this is allowed to persist, there are already fears that our nascent democracy and all that the Nigerian people had had to go through to get this far in achieving democratic civilization could be easily misconstrued and, possibly, lost. God forbid that Nigeria will drift back to dictatorship!”
Concluding, the group noted, “It beats our imagination that IGP could succumb to allegations linking a person of Bukola Saraki, a two-term former Governor of an elitist State like Kwara and a Senate President who controls over N150billion National Assembly yearly budget, who also controls the Saraki’s over 2Trillion wealth and political dynasty in Kwara State that took about 100 years to build across the globe. What therefore will a money from a branch of a bank situated in a less urban place do for him, what currency will the Armed robbers bring for him; Dollars, Pounds, Yuan, Naira or CFA?
“The Coalition of Nigeria Civil Society Groups has, therefore, after careful appraisal of the current ordeal which the Police has subjected the above mentioned elected leaders, (Senate President Bukola Saraki and His Excellency Abdulfata Ahmed) made the following resolutions:
“That the supposed invitation by the Nigeria Police to the Senate President on allegation of links with robbers and perpetrators of the Offa bank robbery incidence is, rather, unfortunate, given the fact that the personality, office, and pedigree of Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki would not have need for any amount of money from a bank robbery.
“That it is, rather, too petty and most laughable to craft any allegations of such linking either the senate President or the Executive Governor of Kwara state to such demeaning and unwholesome ‘enterprise’
“That the Presidency should call the Inspector-General of Police to order, and restrain him from his present bid to embarrass these respected citizens so as to forestall any negative signals which this situation could bring up in the current democratic experience.
“That it is high time the Inspector-General of Police Mr. Ibrahim Idris is relieved of his duties because, all along his appointment, it has been from controversies to allegations of conducts unbecoming of a police Chief of his standing. When Senator Misau opened up the IGP’s can of worms, Nigerians did not take him serious. Now, his evil manipulations are playing out and the nation could suffer for it if appropriate care is not taken.
“That the Nigerian masses are no longer gullible. We are more aware of the intrigues to truncate democratic principles. We are not fooled by these uncanny intrigues to malign our respected leaders. We are not deceived to believe what the police wants to feed the public about Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.
“That it was in good order that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and His Excellency, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed had earlier raised alarm before the Nigeria public that the Police was hatching out plans to fabricate lies with a view to trump up charges to rope them into crime which had earlier failed in previous attempt. Now they resorted to associated them with Bank in the Offa bank robbery incident.
“That it has now become very clear that the duo were not just raising false alarm as the police had claimed but were reacting on good and proper information about the orchestrations by the police to malign and ridicule their persons, offices, and characters.
“That this is a wakeup call to all Nigerians of good will to stand up in defence of our hard earned democracy. We cannot allow the police to perfect these acts against our elected leaders because life is a cycle and no one knows whose turn it would be to occupy the seat of President of Senate or Governor in future.
“That it is not about Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki or Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, as it would certainly seem now. It is, rather, about our tomorrow; about our democracy; about our integrity as a democratic nation; and about our lives. An injury to one should be an injury to all.
“That we give the Nigerian Police an immediate ultimatum to discontinue this invitation both in person and in writing as they now beat a tactical retreat. They should stop the present unprofessional security trajectory, and also desist from using their positions and offices to witch hunt, intimidate, and undermine other leaders.
“That failure to stop any further harassment of the duo above, we shall engage in a protest march against the police and their excesses all over Abuja and states capitals.
“That we urge the Senate President, Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki, and the Executive Governor of Kwara state, His Excellency Abdulfatah Ahmed to remain undeterred in their resolve to bring good governance to the Nigerian polity, ” the statement concluded.
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