Presidency Reacts To Saraki's Claim That Buhari Has Lost Power To APC Cabal

Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is currently standing trial for his alleged involvement in forgery of the Senate Rule, on Monday blamed his travail on a cabal within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which, he said, has usurped the executive power of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki has continued to insist on his innocence in the matter, noting that his trial is a sad commentary on the nation’s democratic practice, which, he said, has gradually been derailing from its assigned political duties.

He also noted that he would not be cowed in the face of frustration and persecution, saying if need be he would willingly walk into jail if the court eventually finds him guilty of the charges against him.

The Senate president made the observations in a statement he personally signed shortly after he was granted bail on self-recognition by Justice Yusuf Haliru of the High Court, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where he was arraigned alongside his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu; former clerk to National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and clerk to the Senate, Ben Efeturi.

Saraki insisted that the filing of the charges against him and the others was a violation of the principles of separation of power, which is set to cause havoc for the practice of democracy in Nigeria.

Accusing the president of losing his power to the stifling powerbrokers within the APC, the Senate president said: “What has become clear is that there is now a government within the government of President Buhari who has seized the apparatus of executive powers to pursue their nefarious agenda.

“This latest onslaught on the legislature represents a clear and present danger to the democracy Nigerians fought hard to win and preserve.

“The suit filed on behalf of the Federal Government suggests that, perhaps, some forces in the Federal Republic have not fully embraced the fact that the Senate’s rules and procedures govern how the legislative body adjudicates and resolves its own disputes.

“Let it be abundantly clear, both as a citizen and as a foremost legislator, I will continue to rise above all the persecution and distraction that have been visited on me.

Reacting, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement on behalf of the presidency, described the embattled president of the Senate as merely pretending to carry an imaginary cross.

While urging Saraki and his deputy to face their judicial trail, Adesina said to claim that Buhari was a stooge to any personality was not only ridiculous, but also preposterous.

“It is not in the character of our president to act as a stooge to anybody,” the media aide said.

Adesina said the claim by Senator Saraki would have been more worth the while if it had been backed with more information.

He said if he had proceeded to identify those who constitute the “government within the government” it would have taken the issue beyond the realm of fiction and mere conjecture.

“As it stands, the allegation is not even worth the paper on which it was written, as anybody can wake from a troubled sleep, and say anything.

-Daily Independent

*There is so much drama going on..Tomorrow now you will see them laughing and drinking coffee together.

Abeg i no get headache to waste for anybody eeeh!