Date: 2021-07-15

Former Senate pesident, Bukola Saraki, yesterday, tackled the Presidency over a statement credited to it that the eighth Senate vis-a-vis the National Assembly, did not collaborate with President Muhammadu Buhari in addressing security challenges in the country.

In a statement by Saraki's media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the former Kwara State governor, said the eighth Senate, without any prompting from the Presidency, organised a two-day security summit on February 8 and 12, 2018.

The security summit, he said, was organised by an ad hoc committee of the 8th Senate on the Review of the Security Infrastructure headed by incumbent Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, who was then Senate leader.

He said the summit was declared open by the incumbent Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo. Also, the leadership of the armed forces and other security agencies were all present at the closed door deliberations.

In the statement, Saraki said: "On a matter as sensitive and important in the scale of constitutional responsibilities of the legislature like security, it will be irresponsible of us not to state the true situation concerning the claim by the Presidency.

"We need to inform the public that fter the report of the summit was adopted by the Senate in the chamber, the 20-point recommendation was officially forwarded to the president for consideration and necessary action.

"The Media Office of Saraki is constrained to make the above clarification for posterity sake because we have noticed the recent trend in which some sources deliberately push out false narratives aimed at shifting blames and passing the buck arising from the security and other challenges confronting the country on the 8th National Assembly.

"We urge discerning public to always take their time to properly check the veracity of the claims contained in such narratives.

"We believe that facts are sacred and opinions are free. Therefore, we urge those in charge of re-presenting the views of the president to the public to always check their facts very diligently and ensure such reports are based on truth and nothing but the truth."