The Nigerians in Diaspora Monitoring Group (NDMG) has offered to help embattled Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, who is currently standing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, over corruption-related charges, to write his resignation letter, if he does not know how to go about writing it.
The offer came as it was revealed that over 1000 Nigerians living in London have signed up with NDMG to participate in a walk from No 1 to No 9 Northumberland Avenue London, which houses the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom. The NDMG revealed they would hold a one hour sit out at the embassy to demand amongst other things the removal of all public officials indicted for corruption using the Senate President’s case as the anchor. An electronic copy of the speech to be delivered at the sit out, titled “10 Reasons Why Bukola Saraki Must Resign as Senate President within the Next 10 Days,” stated that the position of Senate President has been tainted beyond imagination with the endless scandals around the current holder.
The speech, to be presented by Engr. Onyilo Adeka, said there are many reasons why Saraki must immediately resign as the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: “His alleged failure to declare his assets or falsifying any declaration he did make is a violation of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers as spelt out in the constitution. A lawbreaker has no business leading the nation’s law making the arm.
“Revelations of the Panama Papers about his offshore assets, which were allegedly not declared, by the way, are enough reason for Saraki to have done the needful. His co-traveller in the Panama affair and former Icelandic Prime Minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, has demonstrated what a man does when he compromises his honour but Saraki failed to understand the concept. In this, he may want to peruse the National Assembly records for the names of Evan/Evans Enwerem, Chuba Okadigbo and Adolphus Wabara.
“The truly innocent has nothing to fear in clearing his name before a court but instead of defending himself against the Code of Conduct Tribunal charges, he had engaged on an endless trip of judgement shopping as he approached one court after the other, not to clear himself, but to block his trial from holding. In addition to the many charges against him, e has endlessly abused the judicial system. We are now the butt of online jokes that say the only court Saraki has not approached to stop his trial is the Basketball Court.
“The purchase of exotic SUVs for members of the chamber he presides over (in addition to being the Chairman of the National Assembly) is a clear indication of his unremorseful attitude and the disdain in which he holds Nigerians. It is enough proof that corruption and wasteful public expenditure are an integral part of his DNA as a public office holder and the fact that the public outcry prior to the act fell on deaf ears confirms he has no iota of regard for what citizens want. “Saraki has converted his trial into an avenue for wasting tax payers’ money as the business of the National Assembly is crippled each time he has to appear at the CCT. He has denied mobilising his colleagues to following him to the trial venue in solidarity but what he has not proven is him telling the other Senators to continue with what they were elected and paid to do instead of embarking on their charade.
“It will be prudent that Saraki resigns and faces his trial as an individual while the other lawmakers face their national assignment without distraction. “On top of the outrage, the charges against him are generating among Nigerians, Saraki upped the insult to Nigerians by attempting to change the goal post when he and his colleagues futilely attempted to amend the laws, the Code of Conduct Bureau Act and Code of Conduct Tribunal Act, under which he was being tried. Even it was another top politician being tried; attempting to change the laws during the trial has all the hallmark of criminality.
(Sahara Reporters)