Monday, April 11, 2016

CCT trial: Plot to unleash anti-Saraki protests thickens

 The Office of the Senate Presi­dent, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki yesterday said it has uncovered plots by some politi­cians to sponsor protest marches and demonstrations in which some hired people will be given placards to disturb public peace.

In a statement signed by his Spe­cial Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuf Olaniyonu, Saraki’s office stated that sponsors of the pro­posed protest marches are seeking to forcefully mobilize and pollute public opinion against the Senate President.


“As part of their plan, they are already distributing money and other materials to some faceless civil society organisations, market men and women associations and other shadowy groups with a view to instigate demonstrations in La­gos, Abuja and Ilorin starting from Monday, April 11.

“They believe that the on-going trial at the Code of Conduct Tri­bunal provides them the opportu­nity to stampede Dr. Saraki out of office so that their defeated objec­tive of getting their lackey into the office of Senate President will be realized. This is another desperate move by these spineless politicians to achieve through the back door what they failed to realize on the floor of the Senate,” he said.

The special adviser said they were alerting members of the pub­lic to the antics of these desperate politicians, which he said, may re­sult into breach of public peace and order.

“Dr. Saraki is a peace-loving and law abiding politician. The trial at the CCT is just beginning and while the prosecution’s witness has started giving evidence, he is yet to be cross-examined by the de­fence team. The defence has also not opened its own case. We urge members of the public to patiently wait for the conclusion of the case.

“Since the fundamental princi­ple of our legal system is that an ac­cused person is presumed innocent until he is found guilty, Dr. Saraki will not allow any distraction to take him away from his responsi­bility as President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assem­bly,” Olaniyonu added.

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