'COUNT ME OUT OF ARMS DEAL'-Saraki

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has
dissociated himself from the N60bn arms deal
involving the immediate past National Security
Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), and has
threatened law suit against the online medium
behind the said report.
Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser
(Media and Publicity), Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu,
stated that contrary to report published in an
online medium, he has never had anything to
do with the purchase of security equipment
because in his entire political career, he never
served in any committee or body which has
any link with Defence or national security.
“As a member of the Seventh Senate, Dr.
Saraki was not a member of any of the
committees which have oversight function on
the Ministry of Defence or the intelligence and
national security apparatus. If he was tagged
the leader of the opposition to the Jonathan
administration, how then will he be privy to
Arms purchases and have the influence to
blackmail any government agency or institution
over the release of funds.
“The Senate President would like to alert
members of the public to this new plot by this
particular online medium, SaharaReporters to
tarnish his reputation as the medium and its
sponsors pursue the singular objective of
removing him from the office of the Senate
President, an objective they have since failed
to achieve within and outside the National
Assembly.”
This time around, SaharaReporters and its
sponsors chose to drag the Senate President to
this reigning and current issue of arms
purchase by insinuating that he once
blackmailed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
to give him and other Senators the sum of
N250 million as a way of covering up the
arbitrary withdrawal by the NSA from the
security fund approved by the former
President.
The statement further asserted that, ”First,
there is no logic in SaharaReporters’ claim as
Dr. Saraki who was persecuted by the last
administration could not have had the
influence and good standing to walk up to the
Central Bank to demand for any money having
exposed many atrocities of the past
administration. Again, on what ground would
the Senate President blackmail anyone for 250
Million naira? It must be emphasized here that
Dr. Saraki will never engage in any sharp
practice or issue which will warrant him to
blackmail any individual or government
institution.
“Therefore, for record purposes, Dr. Saraki did
not collect any money from any official of the
CBN in respect of any arms deal. The Senate
President also challenge SaharaReporters or
any official of the apex bank, Senator, serving
or past, who witnessed or participated in any
sharing of the alleged money purported to
have been received by him, to come out with
evidence.
“It should be recalled that SaharaReporters
believe it can continue to disparage and
defame people claiming that it is operating
outside the country. The medium cannot
operate above the law.
“This same medium had falsely published the
data page of a forged passport it purportedly
claimed belonged to Saraki. The Home Office
in the United Kingdom has since written to
confirm that the said passport, does not
belong to the Senate President. Also,
SaharaReporters once claimed that Saraki
bribed some judges using a former Chief
Justice of Nigeria as a front. The claim has
since been proven to be false. Anybody who
knows the reputation of the retired Justice in
question knows that he cannot be used to
pervert the cause of justice.
” It also claimed that Saraki tried to cover up
the case of $20 billion missing NNPC fund and
indeed collected “cash and gifts” from former
President, Goodluck Jonathan through Mr.
Gilbert Chagoury when in actual fact, the
Senate President was the only member of the
Senate committee who refused to sign the
majority report of the Makarfi committee
because he disagreed with the report which he
believed did not address the matter. It is
strange however that a man who dissociated
himself from the probe report because he
believed it amounted to a cover up was later
accused by the same online medium as
supporting attempts to hide the issue of the
missing funds. This is not only completely
false, but also a fiction concocted by
SaharaReporters to defame Dr. Saraki.
“The game being played by SaharaReporters
and its sponsors is clear. As they have done in
previous cases involving the ongoing trial of
the Senate President at the Code of Conduct
Tribunal, they are targeting the Appeal at the
Supreme Court coming up on Thursday,
December 3rd 2015. They want to prejudice
the Supreme Court as they have done when
they blackmailed a judge of the Federal High
Court to withdraw from the case and also
published false reports, which compelled the
Court of Appeal to postpone its judgment at
the last minute.
“Whatever the motive of SaharaReporters, it is
high time we employed the instrument of the
law to stop this act of impunity aimed at
publishing false reports believing the victims
will not go to court or be frustrated by its
dubious claims that they are domiciled outside
Nigeria.
” We urge all Nigerians and other well-meaning
individuals across the globe to ignore this
absolutely false claim by SaharaReporters. Like
we earlier stated, this false claim shall not go
unchallenged. We shall meet in court.
“We have allowed SaharaReporters enough
latitude to indulge in their unscrupulous and
mischievous method of journalism. However,
enough is enough. We have no option than to
commence legal action against Sahara
Reporters in all relevant jurisdictions,
particularly on the issue of fake passport, false
claim of bribery and the recent one on
blackmail, all aimed at tarnishing the image of
the Senate President.
“We need to put an end to this concerted
mischief of defaming the person and good
reputation of Senator Bukola Saraki. We will
vigorously defend the integrity of the Senate
President. We believe law and global best
practices should guide these cyber-warriors.
They have abused the docility of the law for
too long. Enough is enough.”