From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Fred Itua, Abuja

THE Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, yesterday decried the attempt by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, to pass off their forgery trial as an attack on the legislature or the National Assembly.

He told the two principal officers that they were the ones on trial and cautioned them to stop giving the erroneous impression to Nigerians that the National Assembly was on trial. He also told them to allow the court adjudicate on the matter.

Lawal, in a statement he personally signed, declared that a case of forgery is usu­ally preferred against individuals, recalling that such a case of forgery led to the resigna­tion of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salisu Buhari.

But the Senate spokesman, Abdul­lahi Sabi, disagreed as he insisted that the primary target of the forgery suit was the entire Senate.

Sabi maintained in a statement that the trial was an attempt to intimidate the legislature and force a leadership change in the Senate.

Saraki, Ekweremadu, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa and Benedict Efeturi were on Monday arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges of forging the Senate Standing Rules with which they conducted the election that brought them into office as principal officers.

While insisting that the forgery case against Saraki, Ekweremadu and other was done by a group of senators and not the executive, the SGF frowned at the uncom­plimentary remarks being made against President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that case against them is not a personal vendetta as being presented by both Saraki and Ekweremadu.

The statement said:

“Since the arraignment of the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki and, his Deputy Senator Ike Ekweremadu before the Federal High Court on Monday, June 27, 2016, the two leaders of the Senate, have issued two separate press statements conveying messages that are far from being complementary to the person and govern­ment of President Muhammadu Buhari. Saraki in his statement clearly insinuated that Mr. President is not in control of his administration and that a cabal now runs the federal administration. On the part of Ekweremadu, he insists that Buhari is exhibiting dictatorial tendencies that can derail our democracy.

“From their statements, the two lead­ers of the Senate also gave this erroneous impression that by their arraignment, it is the entire Senate and indeed, the Legislative Arm of Government that is on trial. They want the public to believe that their pros­ecution is utter disregard by the Executive Arm of government for the constitutional provisions of separation of powers and that preferring the forgery case against them is a vendetta exercise.

“Since this case is in court, the Judiciary should be allowed to do its job. However, it is important to emphasize that this case involves only the four accused persons and should not be presented to the unsuspecting public as involving the entire Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The complaint leading to the forgery investigation was reported to the Police by some aggrieved Senators who specifi­cally accused certain persons. It is not the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is involved and definitely not the House of Representatives. To bring the National Assembly as a body into this court case is totally unwarranted. It can only be for other purposes and reasons outside the investiga­tion and legal proceedings.

“A case of forgery is usually preferred against individuals. This is not different. As was the case with a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was accused of certificate forgery, what he did was to resign, honourably. The matter did not even go to court. In that particular case, it was never orchestrated as a matter for the National Assembly. The individual involved did not drag the entire Legislature into the matter.

“Meanwhile the separate statements by the Senate President and his Deputy are indeed contradictory. While Senator Saraki believes Mr. President has abdicated his powers and that a cabal is in charge of Fed­eral Administration, Senator Ekweremadu says President Buhari has become a dictator.

“Our democracy is still evolving and being deepened. The provisions of the separation of powers are entrenched in our Constitu­tion and should guide everyone in our conduct. The rule of law is indeed supreme. This particular case is before the judiciary and is not being decided by the Executive Arm of Government. All that has transpired is still within the confines of our laws. These are the rights to accuse, to be investigated and be arraigned before the court. To impute other considerations to the process is unfortunate. We should allow the process to take its course, in consonance with the dictates of the law and total obeisance to the cardinal democratic principle of the separa­tion of powers.”

Senate reacts

“Mr. Babachir Lawal should tell us how reasonable it is to conclude that when the President of Nigeria and the Vice Presi­dent are being jointly tried in a suit whose outcome can remove them from office, it is not the Buhari government that is being targeted.

“It is also imperative to clearly state that contrary to the claim by the SGF, neither the Senate President, nor Ekweremadu were mentioned by the petitioners, the statements by those interviewed by the police or even the police report.

“Meanwhile, let us refreshen Mr. Lawal’s memory about the facts of the 1999 case. It is obvious that the Senate President and his deputy are not being accused of certificate forgery as it happened in ex-Speaker Salisu Buhari’s case.

“Therefore, nobody should compare an apple with orange. Also, neither Saraki nor Ekweremadu is below the age requirement for their present position as it was alleged in the Buhari case. Attempts to make the two situations look similar is to present all Nigerians as having no sense of history.

“We also know that nobody can be ac­cused of forging his own signature. The executive is in no position to determine what is the correct Standing Orders of the Senate. The Senate President and his deputy were as at the morning of the June 9, 2015 inauguration of the Senate mere senators-elect and could therefore not have been in a position to influence any alteration in the rule book.

“The Senate as an institution, and indeed the National Assembly, has spoken about their understanding of the present assault on their independence by the executive’. We maintain that this trial is a design by the Executive to criminalise the internal affairs of the Senate to create a distraction for the leadership of the Senate, force a leadership change and cow the legislators.

“Those behind this plot find this trial more expedient and important than finding tangible solutions to the multi-various socio-economic problems bedeviling the country. However, we are sure they will fail in this attempt. We only hope they will allow the judiciary to truly and creditably perform its duties and give independent verdict on the case.”