As Friday’s Supreme Court judgment that Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki should face trial for charges bordering on false declaration of assets continues to dominate discourse in the country, members of the Eight Senate have thrown their support behind their leader.
The Senate Leader, Ali Ndume (APC – Borno South), on Tuesday condemned what he called attempts to convict Saraki before he has had his day in court.
Speaking to newsmen after a closed-door meeting with the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Ndume denied insinuations that the meeting was geared towards finding a political solution to the travails of the Senate President.
According to him, the meeting was routine and should not be read out of context, adding that: “This government is our government. I am the Senate Leader in this government, so my coming here today is not supposed to be a new thing. My coming here should even be more regular.”
On the Saraki trial, he stated: “It is not new for people to read meaning. Are you saying that the Senate President should be convicted before the trial? In our constitution, you are considered innocent until proven guilty.”
Further defending the visit to the Acting President, Ndume, who was accompanied by Senators Dino Melaye and Abdullahi Adamu, said: “This is not the first time we are coming here. But this is the first time we are having the Vice President as Acting President. That is one of the reasons we are here.
“This is because we are setting a new example. During the previous government, the President will just go and leave the place blank.
“So we came for the regular consultation. There is nothing new about it and we will be doing more of this.
“You should expect me to be coming here. Now we have the budget as work in progress; we have the new Money Laundering Bill before the Senate.
“We have many things we are looking at. We have come to consult on these.”