The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki gets reprieve via a court injunction which, for the time being, stopped his arraignment before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for perjury.
On Wednesday, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), in a September 11 charge number ABT/01/15 and filed before the CCT, accused the Senate President of false declaration of assets.
The CCB specifically said Saraki engaged in anticipatory declaration of assets when he was governor of Kwara State between 2003-2011.
The CCB was set to arraign him, after serving him with the papers, when a Federal High Court in Abuja stepped in.
Unimpressed, the High Court summoned the CCB to appear before it on September 21, 2015 to show cause why it should not be restrained from arraigning the Senate President over the allegations.
Saraki had earlier approached the court via an exparte motion asking the Federal Ministry of Justice, the CCB, CCT and Barrister M. S Hassan from taking any further step to arraign or prefer any charge against him, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit he filed before the court.
The Senate President asked the court to declare that the Ministry of Justice has not complied with the provision of the Third Schedule of Section 24(1) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act to act before preffering a charge against him.
Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed, in a chamber ruling, ordered the Federal Ministry of Justice, chairmen of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal and M. S Hassan (first to fourth respondent) to appear before him on Monday to show cause why they should not be stopped from arraigning Saraki.
The Judge ordered that the respondents in the motion should be served with all the court processes, including the motion of notice for the interim order or injunction, motion ex-parte, adding also that hearing notice should be served on all the respondents.
The order, the Judge held was made pursuant to the provision of Order 26 Rule 10 of the Federal High Court (Civil procedure) Rules 2009.
The Senate President, however, talked tough on Thursday with a declaration that nothing would distract the Red Chamber under him in the discharge of its duties.
Saraki said this when he received members of the Florin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union in Abuja.
He assured that the Eighth Senate would do its best to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
In apparent response to the perjury charges at the CCT, Saraki called for prayers and reiterated that his anti-graft war is in the best interest of Nigeria.
“I solicit your prayers for peace and unity in Nigeria. Those who came before us made sacrifices for Nigeria to be better and stable and we would follow in that path. It is not about personal inter- est but the interest of Nigerians,” he said.
In separate reactions, Senators across party lines yesterday condemned the move and described it as “distracting and uncalled for.”
Senator Mao Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Saraki has led the Senate creditably well in the last 100 days and said Senators will continue to give him their total support, irrespective of any distractions from any quarter.
Senator Rafiu Ibrahim (APD, Kwara South) said the battle against Saraki was experiencing was being coordinated by forces outside government to distract Buhari’s administration.
Senator Sabi Aliyu Abdullahi said all the allegations raised against Saraki by CCB are “politically motivated” but will not in any- way derail the eighth Senate from bringing about change in the positive sense to Ni- gerians across the various sectors.
“We will stand by our leaders because leadership is from God and as far as I am concerned, I didn’t come here because I am the best; it is just the will of God that we will be here. And based on the fact that we are here, we shall try as much as possible to deliver very good legislations that will move this country forward. Nigeria is great, and we want to make it greater. And I assure you, we will definitely not be distracted. The entire Senate is behind our leadership.”
Senator Hussain Salihu said those trying Saraki for one thing or the other that had happened in the past were doing so because he is now the Senate President.