20th September, 2015
Femi Adi/Kaduna
The President of Arewa Youth Development Associate, AYDA Alhaji Imrana Wada Nas has said if the Senate President, Bukola Saraki is eventually arrested on Monday as ordered by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, should be rest assured that the party will split.
He also said if APC as a party at the centre, would allow such a very senior member, like the Senate President to be arrested over a controversial corruption charges without intervening now, that would mark the beginning of the crisis that could split the party.
Wada Nas who disclosed this in a chat with journalists today at Nigeria of Journalists Secretariat ,described the travail of Saraki as “Unnecessary witch hunt” that can be avoided and resolved without much noise.
He observed that there was nothing wrong in investigating any public office holder who violates the law, but insisted the manner the Code of Conduct Tribunal is carrying out its constitutional duty on Saraki’s matter made it possible for Nigerians to “smell a rat”.
While querying the rationale behind the arrest of a person that was sworn in twice as governor and senator without raising any issue of infractions about his assets declaration, the son of the late Wada Nas, said it is unfortunate that the Code Conduct Tribunal is just realising that there were inconsistencies with the senate president’s assets declaration.
Though he agreed that the law that established Code Conduct Bureau empowers it to inform the defendant about inconsistencies observed in his assets declaration form, he questioned why it didn’t do that before prosecuting Saraki.
While recalling that there was an earlier order of the federal high court which summoned the parties last Monday, he also queried why the code of Conduct Bureau still went ahead with prosecution.
He also said for the code of Conduct Bureau to now allege that Saraki made false declaration in his asset declaration form for public officers at the beginning and end of his tenure as governor of Kwara state between 29 May, 2003 and 28 May, 2007 is highly suspicious.
Meanwhile , he urged Saraki to appear on Monday at CCT to avoid flouting the law even though there was a superior order not to do so.