'WE ARE NOT DISTRACTED BY CODE OF CONDUCT CHARGES AGAINST SARAKI'- Senators.

Senator Sabi Aliyu Abdullahi (Niger North) and his
counterpart from Nasarawa South, Senator Hussain
Salihu, on Thursday said charges brought against
Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, by the
Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), will not be allowed to
cause any distraction to the legislative agenda of the
Senate.
The lawmakers while reacting to the suit against the
Senate President said Saraki had provided the needed
leadership for the upper chamber of the National
Assembly to define an efficient agenda that would
make the legislature represent the interest of the
people.
In his words, Aliyu said: “I want to believe an
allegation remains an allegation; and our laws are very
clear. It is an allegation until it is proven; I want to
believe it remains an allegation. However, let’s take a
closer look at what the allegations are, dating back to
2003 to date, I think there is something fishy about it.
It is very obvious, of course we know what has
happened since the inauguration of the 8th Senate.
“What I want to state here clearly is that we have a
duty based on our mandate by the electorate to come
here, a number of processes were done, and I want to
believe that, unless if somebody is trying to tell us that
all those processes carried out by various security
agencies were not correct; I want to believe, if they
were correct, then somebody needs to ask the
question: how come 12 years down the line somebody
is feeling that there is something he has forgotten in
those years and he wants to find an answer to them
now?
“But I think that what the 8th Senate is looking at
clearly are the issues of youth unemployment; the
insurgency for which we know that based on the
support of the National Assembly, we are all living
witnesses to the thorough and expeditious work done
to confirm the Service Chiefs, and our resolve through
our legislative agenda to support our party in this
particular dispensation.
“I want to believe that we will not be distracted from
that, and whatever it is that anybody is doing, our laws
are very clear. We have a responsibility, and on the
basis of that we will try to do what Nigerians expect of
us.”
He Said the Senate would continue to stand by Saraki
who had been ordained by God to lead the 8th Senate.
He added: “We are also aware that the Adhoc
Committee on Power has been working. Am sure all of
us here, after all these days work, I don’t know how
many of you will go back home and meet light in your
houses.
“So, these are very serious issues that Nigerians
expect that we pay our attention to; and I want to
assure you that the 8th Senate will not be distracted in
any way.
“We will stand by our leaders because leadership is
from God and as far as I am concerned, I didn’t come
here because I am the best; it is just the will of God
that we will be here and based on the fact that we are
here, we shall try as much as possible to deliver very
good legislations that will move this country forward.
“Nigeria is great, and we want to make it greater and I
assure you, we will definitely not be distracted. The
entire Senate is behind our leadership”.
Also in his reaction, Senator Salihu (Nasarawa South)
said those trying to dig into Saraki’s past because he
was now Senate President would soon be tired because
the Senate would not abandon him as their duly elected
leader.
Salihu said: “The charges against Saraki as far as I am
concerned are just distractions, in the sense that we
are talking about issues of 13 years ago and people are
bringing it now.
“I think Nigerians should disregard such issues
because they are distracting the National Assembly
from doing its own constitutional work. And I don’t
think that it is going to help us.
“What we are talking about now is how we are going to
get power supply, how the ordinary man can send his
children to school and the sick to get hospitals that will
treat them.
“So, the allegations are non-issues. I think the people
who are doing this are not helping the country; they are
not helping the President and they are not helping
anybody because as far as the National Assembly is
concerned, we are going to move on from all these
distractions.
“As you can see, for those of us that are around we are
doing our work and the place is energized to take off
for effective legislative activities when we resume.
“So, I don’t see how these things are going to affect us.
They will do it and get tired. What happened 13 years
down the line, why have they not brought it until now?
So, we feel that those who are doing this are not
helping the nation at all,” he stated.