We have been following events in the ongoing trial of the Senate President with keen interest. We are delighted to see that the Senate President is finally standing trial for alleged breaches of the Code of conduct Act despite all the preliminary objections raised by the defence against the trial. It is healthy for our democracy. Nothing else has reinforced the common man’s belief in the rule of law than the sight of a Senate President in the dock.
However, the most curious event so far in the entire episode was the decision of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to drop the corruption charges against the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
Just when Nigerians were trying to make up their minds if the anti-corruption crusade of the current government is a sincere campaign or a political witch hunt aimed at whipping perceived political enemies into line, the events in the Saraki trial have removed any doubt as to the true colouration of the campaign.
In specific terms, we would like to state unequivocally that the EFCC’s decision to drop such serious charges against a public officer is suspicious. It is even more so when the charges are dropped in the prevailing circumstance of the Saraki trial. Indeed, Nigerians have noted that the CCT chairman began to work doubly hard to hasten Saraki’s troubles following that EFCC decision.
There is a video in circulation on social media that betrays the CCT’s judge hostility to Saraki’s team. It shows how the CCT Chairman was asking Saraki’s lawyer to sit down, in a personal and confrontational manner unbefitting for Umar’s position , effectively depriving the Senate President of fair hearing. We are forced to ask the question that has been on most people’s lips: what level of horse trading has happened between Umar and the forces against Saraki? Could the newfound zest evident in Umar’s handling of the Saraki case be linked to the EFCC’s decision to drop the corruption case against Umar, especially given Umar’s aggression toward Saraki happened just after the EFFC’s publicised ‘pardon’? We call the EFCC and indeed the FG come clean on such coincidence in the Saraki trial.
While we believe that the anti corruption war must go on unhindered, but we cannot fold our hands and watch state institutions like EFCC dabble into any back room politics or “rub my back, I rub your back” judgement pact with CCT Chairman Danladi against an accused person.
EFCC owes the public a duty to explain why they have to drop the case against Danladi Umar at such a crucial stage of the Senate President’s trial.
Nurudeen Agoro
Spokesperson
Come Clean Nigeria
comecleanng.com
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LeTanyan
August 3, 2016 at 1:39 pm
Any minister or political office holder who cannot abide by principle of collective responsibility should resign or be sacked. The APC chairman shou l d be sacked for incompetence and so should the parliamentary party whipps. Too many square pegs in round holes. As for the corruption prone, shameless nd classless Senate President, one would av thot its easy to resign, clear his name in court nd make his way back to his post but know. He must cling on to power at all cost. He is one human being who doesn’t know his limitation. As Rasputin said “when God takes away a man’s sense of reasoning, it is the beginning of the End”. Saraki by delaying his trial nd justice, will be disgraced in the end bcos the last time I checked, Senate Presidency is not a family throne !
LeTanyan
August 3, 2016 at 1:56 pm
The APC government is a coalition and there are bound to be frictions frm time to time. The concern now however is that its getting too infrequent. Whoever is responsible for discipline within the cabinet needs a kick where the sun don’t shine ! Squabbling openly in Nigeria is bad enuff buh to do so on international setting is a national disgrace. In any advance democracy, all these ministers who choose to be kindergarten in their inter-ministerial relationship would be history. They have brought their respective position in government to disrepute, turn Nigeria political arena into Nollywood, & embarrass Nigeria. The spectacle that petroleum minister nd transport minister made of themselves showed they shouldn’t be and are not fit to be ministers in Nigeria or are we so short of talents ? ? ?