The tremulous pressure oozing from nooks and crannies against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki can pass him as one of the most disturbed Senate President Nigeria has ever had. History was. however, set to reckon him as such.
The son of late Abubakar Saraki of blessed memory who is a benefactor of his father’s political dynasty has unarguably played into the murky waters of Nigerian politics for sure.
His emergence as Senate President on June 29th had let loose hierarchy of demons who have refused to leave him alone to preside over Nigeria’s 8th Assembly, thus, he has been moving from one Court to the other, battling with cases and sometimes the National Assembly has to close down against legislative timetable because he must appear in person. That happened on September 16th and November 21st, when Justice Danladi Umar’s led Code of Conduct Tribunal asked that he be produced in person having lost injunctions at appeal court in an attempt to stop the Order, to defend himself.
None of these legal fireworks ever ended in his favour, thereby creating a woe situation of things for him. This has negatively affected his coordination of plenaries as the sagacity with which he is to manage the Assembly was yet to be seen.
For instance, on the 21st of September, 2015 when he had to unavoidably confront a litmus test of an envisaged stormy but controversial screening notably because of a well publicised Amaechi saga, expectedly, Saraki would have acquainted himself with relevant laws (Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended) and extant laws – Standing rules of the Senate which is an instrument used to coordinate legislative activities into a workable system. But to the consternation of all discerning minds, and in the face of stiff opposition to Amaechi’s screening by the minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, Saraki was bereft of invoking the necessary sections of standing rules so as to rule Akpabio out of order.
It was Senator Omoworare that later did the job, but before then, the red Chambers had become a theater of confusion before PDP Senators staged a walkout, something that never happened before.
It falls within the purview of this assertion that Mr. Senate President should retreat to read all relevant instruments, package himself psychologically and be in his frame of mind to traverse with precision the art and science of governing plenary.
Saraki’s trouble stand on tripod: (1) 13-count charges of corruption, false declaration of anticipatory assets and abuse of office where he enriched himself against public trust, (2) managing his opposition colleagues – the Peoples Democratic Party Senators on whose back he rode to Senate Presidency, and, (3) those of his APC households who prefer Senator Ahmed Lawan as Senate President to him. They swore to take his pound of flesh and to see him (Saraki) fall like an Iroko tree.
What obviously played out regarding Amaechi, was conflict of interests that eventually define Saraki’s loyalty and for doing what he did after all were said, he deserves to be applauded.
Standing between the devil and deep blue sea, Saraki’s plea and show of magnanimity to the camp of Lawan to sooth Sword was continually seen as an aberration and the body language of the way he is treated. But the Saraki we know will not succumb to the coward’s alternative by throwing in the towel Midway.
Once again, the Appeal Court has thrown out his case “suo motu”, and said the Code of Conduct Tribunal has jurisdiction to try him. He might have not envisioned as at 2003, that trauma would be waiting in the wings on account of those weighty allegations been pounded by CCT. What he should stop doing at this moment is not the retinue of Senators on empathy once he is to go to the Tribunal, for mere empathy has no impact on the force of law in trial of this matter, but to get set to defend himself so as to maintain the integrity of office he currently occupies.
He should let go the impression of putting number three man in the dock which used to be considered as an aberration and a sacrilege in the past, but brace up with the reality of today’s change mantra where administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 has criminalised false declaration of assets.
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