The spokesman of the Senate Unity Forum, Kabiru Marafa (APC, Zamfara Central) has revealed that the ongoing trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy Ike Ekweremadu over alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules has the backing of the All Progressives Congress.

Addressing State House correspondents yesterday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Marafa said the case would be withdrawn if the party so directed.

“We didn’t go to court because we didn’t like the faces of those that emerged, but this is the will of our party. During the 7th Assembly, we accorded the ruling party at that time the utmost cooperation and we knew the committees that we were given that time. But now, we’re in power, it’s our own time and we should be accorded all the necessary cooperation. We should be seen to respect the party,” he said when asked whether the case would be withdrawn.

The lawmaker also described the purported move to impeach Buhari as a heavy joke: “In legislature, we crack a lot of jokes. I’ll only describe that as heavy joke. Nobody is contemplating that. It’s not a possibility and God willing, it’ll not happen in this Assembly.”

Marafa, who was Thursday appointed chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), described the reshuffle of Senate committees as an outcome of the reconciliation efforts of the APC.

Asked if this implied a return of peace to the Senate, Marafa answered in the affirmative, saying: “Yes, as long as the party comes in and the will of the party is respected. We’re not at loggerheads with anybody. It’s not like we hate somebody.”

On the recently reported plan to impeach Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari, the senator said: “The relationship between executive and legislature at any level is like relationship of husband and wife. So, there is nothing new as far as I’m concerned … We’ll resolve the issues amicably. By our tradition and culture, Zamfara has never had that kind of problem.”

On his mission to the Presidential Villa, Marafa explained that he came to see the president who the petroleum minister as well as his father and leader.