The Majority Leader of the House of
Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, on Thursday said the ongoing
trial of the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, for false asset
declaration at the Code of Conduct Tribunal had nothing to do with the
politics of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
He said since the issue had to do with the law, Saraki would be given his day in court.
Gbajabiamila spoke with State House
correspondents shortly after he and some members of the House of
Representatives met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential
Villa, Abuja.
He also denied any leadership row in the National Assembly
He said, “Everything that has a
beginning, has an end. I don’t think and I don’t know if there is any
leadership crisis in the National Assembly.
“I am not sure at what you are alluding
to; I am not in the Senate. But the little I understand is that there is
an issue involving the Senate President. That has nothing to do with
the APC.
“That has to do with the issue of law and I am sure the Senate President is being represented and he will have his day in court.
“If the matter comes up, I don’t think it is an APC issue; it is not an APC issue at all.”
The House leader also said the lower chamber remained solidly behind the President on his ongoing anti-corruption war.
“God help any member of the National
Assembly that is not disposed to it (corruption war). This is the most
critical cankerworm that is destroying the fabric of the society. All
members are favourably disposed to the war,” he said.
On the reported political solution being
allegedly proffered by the APC to resolve the Saraki’s issue,
Gbajabiamila said he would not comment or promote unsubstantiated
reports.
He said since the problem was a legal matter, he could not fathom how such matter would be resolved politically.
The House Leader also ruled out the possibility of the constitution of House committees causing crisis.
He said, “It would be handled by members
of the House. The correct thing is that justice is done, equity is done
and once that is done, then there is not going to be a problem.
“There are 180 or 190 committee slots while there are 360 members.
“So, whichever way it falls out, the important thing is the fallout that is not based on equity, then there may be a problem.”
He described his visit to the President as routine and that issues discussed included the budget.
He said, “This is just a routine visit to Mr. President; one arm of government visiting another arm.
“You know the important role of the
House; I, being in charge of government business in the House, we
discussed the issue of budget and a few other housekeeping matters to
further cement the relationship between the House and the President.
“Absolutely, we understand the logic of
the zero budgets unlike the envelope budget system, which has issues
under the best circumstances. Zero budgets where everything starts from
scratch, they have to justify every penny.
“It is part of the government efforts to block leakages and the House is in firm support.”
But, some APC members of the House held divergent views over the stance of Gbajabiamila.
A former Chairman, House Committee on
Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, dismissed the House
Leader as being “hypocritical.”
Mohammed, who is from Kwara State, told ObinitonREPORTS that Saraki’s travails began soon after he became the President of the Senate.
He compared Saraki’s case to that of “a witch crying last night and the baby dying in the morning.”
He said, “Gbajabiamila is my leader in the House, but he is being hypocritical. He is not telling us the truth.
“Even a blind man can see that as soon as Saraki emerged as the President of the Senate, he became a target.
“My worry is that it is the institution of democracy that is being weakened; in the long run, we will all suffer it together.” But, another APC member from Lagos State, Mr. James Faleke, said that the APC had no hand in Saraki’s case.
Faleke said Saraki, being a key member of the party, could not be a target of the party.
“Nobody is against Saraki. This is about
law. The APC has nothing against him. As a matter that is purely a legal
one, the Senate president has done well by going to court to challenge
his trial,” he added.
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