The Police has told Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, that he does not have to appear in person before its detectives to tell his story after gang leaders in the bloody Offa Banks armed robbery attacks named him and Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed of Kwara as benefactors in the past. The robbers said they were political thugs to Saraki and Ahmed.
Saraki has received a letter from the Police asking him to offer his explanations in writing within 48 hours, he said on his Twitter handle.
Following Saraki and Governor Ahmed’s travails; and the withdrawal of security operatives attached to Speaker Yakubu Dogara, the renegade Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, under the aegis of nPDP, have pulled out of reconciliatory talks with the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing bad faith.
Dogara; Sokoto Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; former Kano Governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso as well as Saraki and Kwara’s Governor Ahmed are among members nPDP that met with Osinbajo and APC officials last week.
In a statement, nPDP spokesman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, fingered the Presidency for a report last week in the Nation newspaper, alleging that when it met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, it asked that the trial of Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) be dropped. Saraki’s office and the APC denied that the issue was raised.
The statement on Monday reads: The
public may recall that there have been ongoing talks between members of the former Npdp, the APC and the Presidency in recent days.
“Nigerians may further recall that a team from the former nPDP led by Speaker of the House of Representatives, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and four others, were to meet with the Vice President, His Excellency Prof Yemi Osinbajo today.
“However, while we are truly and earnestly committed to achieving reconciliation, harmony, truce and cohesion in the APC as we approach the 2019 general elections, it appears that the Presidency is not interested in the talks and that they may have been negotiating in bad faith.
“We were alarmed that immediately after our meeting with the Vice President last week, the presidency misrepresented what transpired at the meeting by trying to blackmail some of the principal actors involved in the discussions in a national daily.
“Similarly, the leadership of the party (APC) went ahead to ratify all the Congresses from ward, local governments, states and zonal where many of our members have complaints, effectively presenting us with a fait accompli.
“The persecution of our members using state security apparatus have continued unabated.
“We recognize the powers of the Police to conduct criminal investigations but by rushing to the public with the issue even when they have unfettered access to the leadership of the National Assembly suggests an attempt to undermine, caricature and humiliate the institution of the legislature.
“It appears that there is a fouled and toxic atmosphere and environment of intimidation and threat to life in which we now find ourselves which may no longer be conducive for members of the former nPDP to continue with the talks. Given the unfolding events in the last 24 hours,
where the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and His Excellency, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Executive Governor of Kwara State , both of whom attended the meeting with the Vice President on Monday 28 May, 2018 ,have suddenly been accused of sponsoring armed robbery by the Police under the directives of the Presidency.
“Similarly, on Saturday, June 2nd, 2018, the Department of State of Services (DSS) also suddenly withdrew more than half of all the security details attached to the presiding officers of the National Assembly under questionable circumstances.
“The nPDP leadership has decided to brief our members on the unfortunate development and get a fresh mandate if good faith returns to the discussions.”