President Muhammadu Buhari has denied having any form of links with the travails of the Senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki while dismissing the claims that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) were being influenced as uninformed.
The tribunal is trying Saraki for alleged false declaration of assets. He and his supporters allege that it was all instigated – politically.
According to the Presidency, there is no place in law that the Bureau and the Tribunal should take instructions from any quarters.
He said as an independent institution equal to any superior court of record; the tribunal is set up by the constitution to determine the issue of default, false declaration or forgery in assets declaration.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Mallam Garba Shehu stressed the institutions’ independence, saying they take no instructions from any quarters.
The tribunal is set up by the Constitution to determine default, false declaration or forgery in assets declaration. It is equal to any superior court of record, Shehu said.
The statement reads: “This therefore is purely a judicial process and has nothing to do with the Presidency.
“If anyone has an axe to grind with what they are doing, they should do it in a judicial manner by challenging those actions in a proper court of law. Let them hire a good team of lawyers to prove their innocence. Government has no desire to persecute anybody.”
Shehu said the President had vowed to respect the rule of law and that is what he is doing by staying out of the matter.
According to him, Buhari has said many times that the war against corruption has no sacred cows.
He said: “Even if the President wants to help, there is no way he can do anything. Is he going to ask the judge to stop the trial? It is purely a judicial process, the type of which is routinely dealt with by the CCB and the CCT. There are many cases like this that are going on.
“The President has sworn to an oath to protect the Constitution and will not violate that oath.”