Saraki’s Ordeal: Senators Cautioned on Who Might Take over Next Senate Presidency

Sunday Okobi

Coalition of Civil Society and Media Executives for Policy Stability (COCMEP) has cautioned the National Assembly over the permutation on which political party should produce the next Senate President in case Dr. Bukola Saraki, who presently occupies that position exits the post.

The organisation recommended that for the general interests of all and stability of the Senate and Nigeria, All Progressives Congress (APC) should continue to occupy the position of the Senate presidency while the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should shelve the idea of taking over the Senate.

“Because, It is a dangerous presumption to conceive the downfall of Saraki when the judgment has not been given by Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) but in the event of Saraki exit from the position, APC should continue to hold the position for the peace, progress and stability of the Senate and the country and to avoid worsening the political crisis that has engulfed the Senate since the beginning of this administration.

“An APC member has been the Senate President and hell almost visited the county; let alone when the opposition assumes the powerful No three seat in the country. The Senators will be living in fear, tension and suspicion among themselves and will be throwing political missiles at one another which is antithetical to the country democracy,” the group said.

According to COCMEP in a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday by its National President and National Secretary, Innocent Ebirim Okadigbo and Evelyn Ogbogu respectively, the ongoing trial of Saraki at the CCT has generated a lot of issues in Nigerian polity, “therefore, for peace to continue to reign, PDP should please shelve the idea for the interest of all.”

The pro-democracy and civil society group cautioned that: “For the sake of equity, justice and fairness, PDP Senators should allow their APC counterparts to continue to preside over the affairs of the Senate, because when PDP was the ruling and majority party for 16 years, there was no interference in the leadership of the Senate from the opposition. If PDP enjoyed such privilege from the opposition, APC should equally enjoy such privilege now.

“With the high level of political intolerance and politics of zero sum game affair in the Nigeria’s political landscape, a PDP Senate Presidency will be totally unacceptable to an APC controlled Executive and the ensuing frosty relationship between both the executive and the legislature will be disastrous and catastrophic to governance in the country and the common man at the receiving end.

“COCMEP foresees a more biased, vindictive, selective and oppressive criminal justice system where the anti-graft agencies will be marshaled to crush the opposition elements including the innocent ones if by any act of omission or commission a PDP Senate President emerges. Prevention is better than cure and a stitch in time saves nine.”

The civil society organisation therefore stated that with the present political dispensation is an ill-wind which blows no one good, APC members in the Senate should embrace the Senator Aliyu Wamakko’s peace overtures, unite and put its house in order to smoothly overcome any challenge while simultaneously praying for Saraki to survive his ordeal “to avert the looming danger that may await the post-Saraki Senate.”