Date: 2017-06-26

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kwara State has warned that the appeal filed by the Federal Government against the judgment of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, that discharged and acquitted President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, would dim the chances of the ruling party in 2019 general elections.

Bukola saraki The party, therefore, advised the government to wade into the matter to curtail the excesses of those it described as "desperate agents of government and their external collaborators" who didn't contribute to the success of the APC during the 2015 general elections but were out to do irreparable damage to the government and the party. Kwara APC in statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari, in Ilorin, yesterday, noted:

"In the last two years, facts have shown that some desperate agents of the Federal Government, who made no significant contribution to the victory of the APC in the 2015 presidential election and their external collaborators had in no small measure distracted the executive from delivering electoral promises to Nigerians due to the unpatriotic drive to persecute the head of the second arm of government and a strong pillar of the APC. "In the next two years, Nigerians believe the executive would have learned some lessons and fully concentrate on issues of governance.

"However, with the continued persecution of the Senate president, it is clear agents of the executive have made the Senate president the only agenda of the executive.

"We are concerned that the continued persecution of the Senate president by desperate agents of the government and their external collaborators will dim the chance of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 presidential election."

"The FG should wade in to curtail the excesses of these saboteurs before they would have done irreparable damage to the government and the party. "The ruling of the CCT will be sustained by higher courts because the ruling represents the true position of law.

"If the agents of government who instigated the appeal decide to remove their veil of desperation, it will be clear to them that the CCT has done justice to the matter.

"The APC in Kwara State wishes to restate its firm belief in the independence of the Judiciary. We are confident the Judiciary will, indeed, demonstrate its independence by upholding the ruling of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, that discharged and acquitted the Senate president."

The APC also called for the prosecution oof chairman of the Presidential Committee on Anti-Corruption, PACAC, Prof. Itse Sagay, because he allegedly instructed the chairman of CCT, Justice Danladi Umar, on how to conduct the trial.

"If the fight against corruption is not selective, vindictive and a tool to settle political scores, why is it taking the government prolonged delay to order investigation and arraign Prof. Sagay over the allegation ?.

"Therefore, we demand his immediate prosecution for attempting to arrest and manipulate the course of justice," the party said.