Senators Set For A Showdown In Abuja Over Saraki

There are indications that Senators that are opposed to Bukola Saraki’s leadership of the Senate are poised to ask for his resignation as the upper federal legislative chamber re-opens on Tuesday.

The anti-Saraki Senators are citing the trial of the Senate president by the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false asset declaration as a reason for Saraki to go while his supporters are saying the man should not be proclaimed guilty before he goes through the judicial process.

Curiously, the Senate president’s “enemies” are mostly members of his All Progressives Congress while his “loyalists” are from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. The saga to expect...

Investigations by Punch in Abuja on Sunday indicated that both anti-Saraki Senators and those supporting the Senate president are poised for a showdown when they return to the chambers.

While the anti-Saraki Senators are said to be resolute in their plot to end his leadership of the Senate, the pro-Saraki members are said to have vowed to ensure that the man is not forced out of office.

A strong member of the anti-Saraki faction of the Senate, under the aegis of the Senate Unity Forum, who spoke on the issues, said his colleagues are determined to restore the integrity of the Senate by ensuring that a senator standing trial for corruption would not continue to preside over their affairs.

The APC senator from the North-East geopolitical zone said, “Posterity will judge us if we continue to condone corruption in the legislature instead of distancing ourselves from it.

“It is our intention to reach out to more senators who had yet to see things from the same perspective like us and we will play our role and leave the rest for Nigerians to judge.

“The Senate president may rule us out of order while his supporters may also make noise and shout us out but we will say our own and allow history to be the judge.

“Nigerians know what is going on and majority of our people now have access to the mass media more than ever before, so they will also know the role that each senator plays in the whole saga.

“We are not saying that our efforts alone would get Saraki out of office but we will do the needful as responsible lawmakers and would encourage Nigerians to take it up from where we stop.”

Another APC senator from the South-West geopolitical zone, stressed that it would be better for the Senate president to step aside and face his trial at the CCT to defend all his assets declarations.