Date: 2016-04-10

The calls for the resignation of the Senate President Bukola Saraki gained prominence hours after his trial commenced at the Code of Conduct Tribunal(CCT).The trial coupled with the Panama Papers leak has put him in a tight corner.

Spirited efforts to stop the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, failed on Tuesday when the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, (CCT), Justice Danladi Umar gave the nod to the prosecution counsel to begin the long-awaited trial.

Saraki is facing a 13-count charge of false assets declaration while he was governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

At the commencement of the Tuesday’s sitting, Counsel to Saraki, Mr. Paul Usoro(SAN), had applied for the adjournment of the case, citing pending appeal challenging the CCT’s jurisdiction to entertain the case but Justice Umar ruled in favour of the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, (SAN), who said he was ready for the trial.

In February, Saraki had suffered a defeat at the Supreme Court where he had gone to seek legal redress for the case not to commence. The apex court ruled that the tribunal had the jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

Key revelations at the tribunal so far included the payment of N.6 million into the account of Saraki 50 times in a day, the payment of $10,000, 18 times in a day and the collection of monthly salary from the Kwara State Government after the expiration of his tenure.

Although, the Kwara State Government reacted by claiming that it was pension and not salary that Saraki was being paid, the revelation has added to the gale of controversies around the Senate President.

Before the commencement of the trial at the CCT, a fresh assets declaration controversy rocked Saraki when the news of the secret assets of his wife went viral on the social media on Monday.

Breaking the news, an online news platform, Premium Times carried a report headlined: “#PanamaPapers: Hidden family assets of Nigeria’s Senate President, Saraki, uncovered in tax havens” alleging that four assets belonging to the Sarakis were tucked away in secret offshore territories.

It was revealed that four undeclared overseas assets in the name of the wife of the Senate President were hidden from the authorities and are missing from the assets declaration form.

Saraki, in his defense through a statement issued by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, claimed that the assets belonged to the family of his wife but hours later the lawyers of the wife contradicted the claim, insisting that the assets belong to their client and not her family.

Apparently worried over the revelations, some Senators reportedly emerged from a meeting on Tuesday night and demanded for the head of Saraki. Specifically, they were said to have asked him to resign.

The calls for Saraki’s resignation started in February when the spokesperson of the Senate Unity Forum (SUF), Senator Kabiru Marafa, (APC, Zamfara Central), asked him to throw in the towel in order to concentrate on his trial.

Marafa was, however, threatened with a suspension but the report on the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee that recommended for his suspension has not been debated on the floor.

The latest calls for his resignation gained more support compared to when Marafa and his group alone are involved. It was gathered that the senators are worried over the latest revelations. Perhaps, that was responsible for the sharp drop in the number of senators that accompanied Saraki to the CCT.  At the beginning of the episode last year, over 80 senators followed him to the tribunal, but on Tuesday, only 23 were there and on Wednesday, it dropped to 21.

A cross-section of senators interviewed had divergent opinions on the calls for Saraki’s resignation. While some are in support, others are against it.

For instance, a senator from the North said he had since aligned himself with the calls for Saraki’s resignation.

“The senate is a lawmaking arm of the government and how do you expect people to respect any law that we enact now when the number one lawmaker is facing corruption charges? We have to find ways to address this,” he said.

Another senator said that the call for his resignation was gathering momentum.”If you look at those people saying he should not go, they are beneficiaries of his committees. They were given the chairmanship of committees when they were not qualified,” he said.

He said the PDP senators are rallying round Saraki “because they know that the Deputy Senate President seat they are occupying may be taken away from them when a new senate president emerges.  Also, the juicy committees allocated to them may be taken away.”

On his part, an APC senator from the North-West expressed fear that the PDP could hijack the Senate Presidency.”I’m afraid that they may take it from us because of their unquestionable loyalty to Saraki. And he too may support them because of the way he is being tried,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Also speaking, a senator from the North-Central said Saraki was the only person that possesses the capacity and the wherewithal to lead the Upper Chamber.

“We are solidly behind him and all those that were with him from the beginning are still with him. Yes, there are intrigues but contrary to reports the support base of Saraki is still intact.

“As you know from the beginning, there are few people that are not with him but because of their number they cannot make any impact. Saraki’s case is persecution and it is becoming clearer by the day. There is nothing like resignation, it was just a kite and I’m part of everything,” he said on a phone interview.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Isa Hamma Misau, (APC, Bauchi Central), said Saraki will not resign, describing the trial as persecution.

“It is not true that we asked Saraki to resign during our yesterday’s (Tuesday) meeting at his residence. We only reviewed the day’s sitting and we picked holes in it,” he said. He said the statements of the witnesses have confirmed that Saraki is being prosecuted over his emergence as the Senate President.

“It is not prosecution but persecution because the lodgement of money is not a Code of Conduct Bureau case but that of EFCC. If we continue like this, it will not be good for our democracy. We have to respect our laws and constitution, otherwise it will consume all of us,” he said.

Describing those calling for Saraki’s resignation as hypocrites, he said many senators are firmly  behind Saraki.

Whether Saraki will be able to survive the crises, only time can tell.

The National Assembly is set to resume sitting on Tuesday while the continuation of hearing of Saraki’s case has been fixed for 18 of this month.