UPDATED: Saraki at tribunal with ’81 senators’
Senate President Bukola Saraki is currently at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) where his trial for alleged false declaration of assets is continuing.
The senate president arrived in company of 81 senators, including Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president; Dino Melaye, Samuel Anyanwu and Stella Oduah.
TheCable initially counted more than 50 senators who disembarked from four buses before commencement of the trial. But Chuks Okocha, spokesman of the senate president, confirmed that the senators were 81 in all.
Saraki arrived at the court a few minutes before 10am, and quickly sat on the second row of seats in the audience.
He sat beside Aliyu Ndume, senate leader, whom he intermittently conversed with.
The senate president appeared unruffled.
The first time he was in court was on September 22, after an order for his arrest by the CCT.
Although he came to the tribunal voluntarily, he had sought to stop his trial at the high court and appeal court, but failed.
Saraki had pleaded not guilty to a 13-count charge of false declaration of assets, and had said he was on trial because he emerged senate president against the wish of his party.
“Why are Nigerians always more interested in the politics of theft than in the fact of theft? I am trying to understand that psychology.
In just 1 of several instances of anticipatory declaration, Saraki claimed he was earning N110 million annually as rent from an empty plot.
That’s N110 million he was planning to steal annually as rent from a non-existent property.
Yet, about 80 clowns have abandoned their duty posts today because they are more interested in the politics of theft than the fact of theft.
That Saraki stole or not is irrelevant (fact of theft). What is important to the clowns is why him and why now (politics of theft).” – Prof. Pius Adesanmi
Very aptly put