A Patriarch of the Aladura Church, Olapade Agoro, has said that Senate President Bukola Saraki lacks the legal and moral authority to preside over the Senate’s screening of ministerial nominees.
Mr. Agoro, the chairman and former presidential candidate of the National Action Council (NAC), also stated that it was “an absurdity, abnormality and shame of the principle of rule of law” that the Senate President “currently standing trial for wrong doings bordering particularly on corruption before two legally constituted bodies, Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), would still be seen parading the corridors of power overseeing the conduct of ministerial nominees screening.”
In a statement released today, the NAC official said Mr. Saraki’s behavior was a “charade of shame and hopelessness the type never to be seen allowed in decent societies of the world but ever brazenly allowed only in Nigeria.” He added that Mr. Saraki’s continued role was “a slap in the face of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government anti-corruption change slogan.”
Mr. Agoro asked, “how on earth would one expect good judgment delivery asking an indicted thief to conduct the moral examination of characters of ministerial nominees who are particularly expected to be trusted with the smooth and non-corruptive running of the affairs of a nation?”
According to Mr. Agoro, it is “conscience-challenging for those ministerial nominees to willingly be ready to submit themselves for screening before a man currently of doubtful character standing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.”
The Aladura patriarch contended that, “in the interest of fair play, decency and respect of the rule of law,” Senator Bukola Saraki ought to “immediately step aside overseeing the running of the affairs of the Senate till after the final conclusion of his trial before the CCB and CCT.”He stated that, unless Mr. Saraki stepped aside, he might be compelled to take the Senate President to “the law court asking for an order putting paid to his shameful abrasion of the rule of law.”
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Saraki should have no part in the screening process. In saner democracies, the likes of him would be suspended from their roles pending investigation or would do the honourable thing and resign. Nigerians need to demand higher standards of their leaders and the rules of conduct should allow for immediate suspension where a member of the legislature or any of the arms of government is charged with a criminal offence either in Nigeria or abroad. Only then will those in power begin to sit up.