A top ranked national member of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Yekini Nabena is advocating for the removal of the Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate President, describing his continued stay as ‘immoral’.
Nabena, who spoke against the backdrop of the suspension of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, over allegations of corruption,
called for Saraki’s immediate resignation as Senate President, if the Senate is to
regain its deserved status.
According to him, the Senate has completely lost its legitimacy, with Saraki as president.
In a statement issued, yesterday, in Abuja, Nabena said in the history of the Nigerian Senate, “no Senate President has brought disrepute to the exalted position like the current occupier.”
He urged Nigerians, Civil Society Organizations, former and serving senators and
all lovers of democracy to remain steadfast in their quest to kick Saraki out of office, if the current fight against corruption was to have any tangible effect.
He said: “Senator Saraki cannot continue to preside over a lawmaking organ of a government that is vigorously fighting corruption in Nigeria when he has a load of corruption allegations hanging on his neck.
“As it is today, the case of his alleged false assets declaration is ongoing. There are
revelations about his ties to offshore businesses in tax havens as contained in the
Panama Papers.
“For Saraki and his docile senator friends to leave their houses and head straight
to court, sit in the accused box on criminal charges, this is enough an indictment.
Yet, they will come back to the upper house and take charge of lawmaking for the
country.”
‘’This manner of impunity is killing every sane citizen and also rubbishing our democracy in the eyes of other nations.
“It has also been reported how Saraki’s name was prominently mentioned in an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on the
N19 billion London-Paris Club loan refund.’’
While calling on Saraki to step down until his innocence was established, the APC
chieftain asked the party leadership not to succumb to blackmail “by blindly
supporting Saraki’s Senate Presidency against President Muhammadu Buhari’s
anti-corruption war.”