The Presidency on Saturday said it did not originate the legal battles currently before the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Punch reports.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said this in an interview with the newspaper.
Saraki who emerged the President of the Senate against the position of the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress that supported Senator Ahmed Lawan’s candidature is also undergoing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged false declaration of assets while he was governor of Kwara State.
Only last week, Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, were taken to the court for alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules 2015 that was used to inaugurate the Eighth Senate.
Adesina said the Presidency was not responsible for Saraki’s travails.
One of our correspondents had sought to know from the presidential spokesman if Saraki would be spared his legal troubles if he stepped down as President of the Senate.
But Adesina said the issue did not arise since the Presidency did not initiate his legal battle.
“Senator Saraki’s legal battle was not originated by the Presidency in the first place, so this issue does not arise,” he said.
Notwithstanding the Presidency’s position, two presidential aides are part of the 14 witnesses listed by the Federal Government against Saraki and Ekweremadu by the time the trial gets underway on Monday.
Others for trial on Monday are the immediate past Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, and the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Benedict Efeture.
The two presidential aides listed as witnesses by the Federal Government are the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang; and the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu.
Enang and Ojudu were both members of the Seventh Senate before their current appointments.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has said the APC will not interfere on the matter. According to him, the party does not interfere in judicial matters.
He said as a party sworn to uphold the rule of law, it would always strive to live above board and not give room for any person or group of persons to doubt its sincerity in this direction.
Odigie -Oyegun said, “I really don’t have anything to tell say on this matter but like I said several times before, as a party, we don’t interfere with judicial matters.”
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