Saraki forgery trial: Let the rule of law take its course

Saraki Ekweremadu

Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu

Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu
Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu

By Buki Ponle

By Buki Ponle

Why are Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu crying presumptively over alleged forgery of the Senate rules, an action which reportedly rocked them to the headship of the Senate at its inception in June
2015?

Nobody has declared them guilty yet, and suppose at the end of their current trial over the case, the judge declares them innocent? Or are they insinuating that they are above the law, and should never have been scrutinized by a court of law in the first place? Or the issue is too infinitesimal and ought to have been overlooked? Or they will never obtain fair trial?

And why should the whole Senate allow itself to be drawn into a criminal matter involving individual members and not the hallowed chamber? Is it a matter of ‘rub my back today, I will rub yours tomorrow?’

Few days ago, the two principal actors, alongside two others, appeared before a competent law court, charged with tampering with the rules to pave way for their victory. Yet, they moved swiftly to the court of
public opinion for reasons best known to them. Senators have also accused the executive arm of government as
overbearingly interfering in the affairs of the legislature, moving beyond its bounds and constituting a threat to democracy. They view it as an affront and an assault to the integrity of the lawmakers.
President Muhammadu Buhari is, once again, called a dictator over his style of administration.

In the first instance, it was the police that investigated the forgery allegation and found out that there was more to it than meets the eyes. Consequently, they forwarded their findings to the Attorney-General
of the Federation and Minister of Justice who is the chief custodian of the Nigerian law.

The case was taken to the law court which is independent of President Muhammadu Buhari, as judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council. The President did not report the case of forgery to the police, some senators did.

One wonders why Saraki and Ekweremadu are thus agitating. They are like every other Nigerian; they are not above the law in a changed Nigeria where equality and fair play before the law are now the order.

Surprisingly, the whole Senate is allowing itself to align with the criminal case of individual members, which SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN, as this could result in promoting anarchy to short-change the course of
justice.

Ekweremadu, a lawyer, has written to international bodies asking them to intervene (and interfere) in a matter before the court in a sovereign Nigeria, doing what his colleagues call subjudice!

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But, come to think of it: why should every move in our polity be ‘religionised’ or ‘ethnicised’, depending on where the complainant belongs? These strategies have always been effective weapons adopted by citizens, especially politicians in the past, but which the present administration refuses to condone.

Government is saying it is no more business as usual and the era of impunity is over. One of the beauties of democracy is accountability, and in developed democracies, the acceptance of a cup of tea in a
questionable manner could result in the loss of office by the holder.

One could also recall when actions of our Senators have seemingly constituted a threat to democracy and a violation of citizens’ rights. Is it the fixing of Senators’ salaries right on their assumption of office when most Nigerians were and still wallowing in abject poverty or the purchase of limousines for the use of selected officers? Is it the ‘killing’ of the Gender Bill on arrival at the chamber or the plan to stifle opinions of Nigerians through the now withdrawn bill to regulate the social media?

One could also recall when actions of our Senators have seemingly constituted a threat to democracy and a violation of citizens’ rights. Is it the fixing of Senators’ salaries right on their assumption of office when most Nigerians were and still wallowing in abject poverty or the purchase of limousines for the use of selected officers? Is it the ‘killing’ of the Gender Bill on arrival at the chamber or the plan to stifle opinions of Nigerians through the now withdrawn bill to regulate the social media?

Is it the move to expand the immunity clause to include Senators, when we are all witness to the use or misuse of the clause by some serving public officers, including some Governors. Tell me, what has the ordinary citizen benefitted, in quantifiable terms, from the Senate in the past one year? The masses are made to feel that it is a sin to be what they are!

Citizens’ rights to quality of life are even denied when the time to attend to their welfare is spent by Senators on solidarity support with Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, some of them having wasted more than the entire time they have spent at the Senate.

It is instructive to state that good governance benefits everybody as hunger and poverty know no tribe or religion. The masses need no public statements to sway them, only the deeds of public officers
will, and let it be known that the judgement day is here. And for our country to be great, citizens must be dispassionate and objective in their judgements, jettison emotional tantrums and primordial outbursts.The mighty and the lowly should ensure they contribute morally and legally, to make our democracy work, not
through lip service and emotion-whipping.

Neither the Senate is being desecrated, nor democracy being undermined. Only few members in the Senate are on trial. Period. At the end of the day, the court should be left to rightly decide if the case of forgery and the others before it, are borne out of persecution or diligent prosecution for an orderly society or whether
the executive is a ‘meddlesome interloper’ in legislative matters. It will also adjudge the dictator or the promoter of rule of law, as well as determine the hero and the villain of our democracy.

*Ponle is a public affairs analyst

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