Former Senate President and elder
statesman, Senator Ameh Ebute has called on Bukola Saraki, President of the 8th
Senate to immediately resign in order to save the image of the entity called
Nigeria.
Ebute, who was President of the
Nigerian Senate during the end of the third republic, in a thought-provoking
letter addressed to Saraki on Friday, hinged his
reason on the fact that Saraki had succeed in turning the Red Chamber into a
combat theatre by protecting the abominable and despising truth.
The Benue-born political leader
lamented that the Saraki-led Senate also imported what he termed despicable
autocracy and despotism into parliamentary engagements, hence, the needless
brawls between the Senate and the executive arm of the government.
He also cited the recent
suspension of Senators Ali Adume and Omo-Agege as some of the few examples of
Saraki’s aberrational leadership of the Senate and the National Assembly.
Ebute declared, “This is the
extent of your moral deficit, which has disqualified you from belonging or even
leading an assemblage of honourable men and women.”
He advised the Kwara-born
lawmaker to kindly eat the humble pie and take the exit door, having,
“consistently failed to pass the integrity and morality tests to continue to
preside over Nigeria’s parliament.”
The letter reads below.
Let me begin by extending my
greetings to you and other members of the National Assembly. It is exactly
eight years since God crossed our path and must be bold to say that knowing you
as a friend has been an interesting journey all the way.
As a senior citizen of Nigeria, I
feel I owe the younger generation of Nigerians the moral obligation to offer
advice and counsel when public institutions are mismanaged. It is more
compelling, especially, whenever I see the ship of state derailing or
democratic tenets blatantly abused, as in our experience now with your
leadership of the National Assembly. This is why I have decided to write this
open epistle to you.
We all know that democratic
governance rest on the pillars of the legislature, whose main responsibility is
to enact legislations that would deepen democratic practices and good
governance in any country of the world. A corrupt legislature is a bane to the
country; while an upright, focused and virtuous legislature is an asset to
Nigeria. The entire wheels of democratic governance are propelled and energized
by the legislature.
Therefore, those who should populate
the hallowed chambers ought to be men and women of proven integrity and
trustworthy. The demands of morality and integrity on the Parliament, which is
the conscience of democratic governance is very strict.
It is no longer in doubt to all
discerning minds that your lofty position as the Senate President and Chairman
of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigerian places a serious a
moral burden on you, which your actions and utterances in the last three years
have exposed you as very deficient.
Nigerians have watched with utter
amazement how you have redefined leadership of the legislature in the negative
sense. This to me as your friend is very shameful and immoral to say the least
but still not too late.
The Senate under your watch has
imported despicable autocracy and despotism into parliamentary engagements. And
the resultant effects include, the dictatorial muzzling of opposition voices of
colleagues during plenary and abusing their inalienable right of freedom to
hold and express opinions on the floor of the hallowed chambers.
Your leadership of the Senate has
shown an absolute proclivity to vindictiveness and witch-hunting of colleagues
who share views opposed to your disposition. Such members are goaded to the
Ethics and Disciplinary Committee peopled by your acolytes, who have accepted
the loathsome job of serving as your hatchet men. They unduly or unlawfully
punish dissenting voices for the audacity of holding an opinion contrary to your
thinking.
The suspension of Senators Ali
Adume and Omo-Agege are some of the few examples of your aberrational
leadership of the Senate and the National Assembly. You have turned the Red
Chambers into a combat theatre, protecting the abominable, but despising truth.
This is the extent of your moral deficit, which has disqualified you from
belonging or even leading an assemblage of honourable men and women.
Mr. Senate President Sir, you
have consistently failed to pass the integrity and morality tests to continue
to preside over Nigeria’s parliament. Nigerians recall with much sadness, your
scandalous alleged purchase of the N298 million bulletproof Range Rover Sports
Utility Vehicle (SUV), with fake documents and the evasion of Customs duties,
which was impounded by Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).
There is also the issue of your
alleged false declaration of assets, a case still hanging at the Code of
Conduct Tribunal (CCT), but you are frustrating judgment with frivolous court
injunctions. This again testified to the obvious that you still own the
Nigerian people an apology.
And your recent alleged shadows
in the Offa bank robberies which claimed the lives of over 30 Nigerians,
including security agents have cumulatively placed a moral burden on your leadership
and disqualify you from holding the noble identity of a Nigerian
parliamentarian, much more holding such exalted positions of Senate President
and Chairman of the National Assembly.
Sir, in my humble opinion, you
are barren of every essential ingredient and honour to continue to preside over
any parliament anywhere in the world. The abysmal performance of the Senate
under your watch, the padding of national budget or the simmering regime of
corruption your leadership has allowed to creep into the Senate strips you of
any qualification to be a member of Nigeria’s National Assembly.
Nigerians have tolerated your
leadership deficit enough and time has come for you to have a rethink and do
the needful.
We are tired of your scandalous
outings at every point. It is either, you are fingered in armed robbery today,
or some illicit monies are traced to your account abroad, which are matters the
laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not approve of any public office
holder.
My friend Senator, I have no
hesitation to say, you have regrettably become an opposite of honour or
integrity, both at home and abroad and a shame to Nigeria, a country President
Muhammadu Buhari is spending sleepless nights to reposition and rejuvenate on
the path of progress and public morality. We cannot allow you to reverse these
gains.
Though, the mistake was made
right from your home state of Kwara, where the people of Kwara Central
senatorial district failed to see your odd characters, underserving of
leadership patronage and proceeded to entrust you with their mandate. Even this
is now questionable having listened to some criminals confess openly how they
manipulated your elections to give you victories against the people’s wish .
These negative virtues are
innately part of you, and there are no restrictions. You even irresponsibly
besmirched and desecrated, the Elder Olusola Saraki, your own father by
shamefully humbling a man that brought you into this world and even politics by
extension.
Therefore, at the behest of all men
of good conscience and lovers of Nigeria, I am advising you to do the needful.
Please, withdraw your membership of the National Assembly by resigning your
position. And the time to act appropriately is now. It is the collective desire
of all Nigerians to see their country progress. We cannot continue to stomach
or tolerate a leadership liability like you anymore.
Thank you for the patience of
reading this open letter and may you be guided accordingly.
You may permit me to share this
with our friends in the diplomatic circle as witnesses to my call for you to do
the needful. This is to put everyone on notice should masses decide to emulate
your style of doing things by removing you from office in the days ahead.
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Sarki will meet his imminent Waterloo very soon!
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