CCB/CCT/EFCC vs SARAKI: A case of many parties

 

*And why Buhari may hand PDP Senate presidency Ignore the sentiments.

Relate with the facts. In what is turning out to be spectacular trial of Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the case of alleged false declaration of assets has become a case of Saraki’s alleged illegal acquisition of wealth, with many actors, from a section of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, and its Chairman, Danladi Umar, laying out different scripts. Yet, Buhari’s facade of not being involved or interested in the case – with its obvious incongruities and lapses – may end up handing the Senate presidency to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. With its less than pretty majority in the Senate, the permutation now is that some Senators in APC, who are themselves expressing discomfort at what is going on, may switch votes. This report examines the role of each party (read actor) in this drama. Saraki Saraki Saraki Abubakar Bukola Saraki is the protagonist, the man in the eye of the storm. Since 1999, never has a Senate President come under this type of gloom. And, in what had been a game of revolving chairs, a notorious tradition where previous Senate Presidents collapsed over mere allegations of whatever shade, Saraki is weathering the storm. That his support in the Senate remains very strong shows that he must be loved by majority of his colleagues across party lines. However, that he is standing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, creates a political discount and one which appears really daunting. For a man who eyeballed the establishment in his party to win the Senate presidency, Saraki can be said to have inadvertently brought upon himself this crisis, knowing that he was going to be dealing with politicians with a large appetite for buccaneering. However, at a time when the convention in saner climes suggests that a public office holder embroiled in this type of controversy better serves society by resigning, the obvious political nature what is going on cushions and moderates the angst that Saraki should have naturally suffered. EFCC (Lamorde) EFCC-boss-Ibrahim-Lamorde EFCC-boss-Ibrahim-Lamorde This case seems to be a purely Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, case. The star witness is an EFCC official who repeatedly mentioned the former EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, while giving his evidence. It would have been expected that this should be an EFCC case before the law court – at least based on the drama playing out with the nature of evidence being given. So far, based on evidence adduced before the CCT, there is yet any matter concerning the violation of asset declaration directly; it is still all about wealth acquisition. Interestingly, the current CCT Chairman was being investigated by the EFCC under Lamorde but is known to have been placed on administrative bail – since the story of his administrative bail came into public space, the CCT Chairman has not been known to deny it. Lamorde, himself, has a damning petition filed against him before the Senate by one George Uboh, accusing him of not accounting for about N2.5 trillion recovered from looters of the Nigerian treasury. Curiously, in Saraki, both the CCT Chairman and the EFCC may have found an alliance of some sort. FGN (SGF, VP) The Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, is supervised by the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal and some senators have alleged that the SGF, based on political affinity and the interests involved, may not be unconnected with some activities to achieve the objective of punishing the man who embarrassed his political party. As an avowed Christian leader, it is interesting that the VP is in a leadership position in an administration where travesty appears to be the order of the day regarding the goings-on at the CCB and the CCT. Were it to be VP Yemi Osinbajo’s days as Lagos Attorney General, a situation where a judge who is yet to vacate allegations hanging over his head and, who, interestingly, is still alleged to be on administrative bail from the anti-graft agency, is the one sitting in a matter involving the same anti-graft agency, Osinbajo would have made a profound statement with a view to bringing sanity on board. Worse still, for the issue of not standing to be counted for equity in this matter, the ridiculous spectacle of a judge admitting that an earlier judgment he granted was done in error, makes it all the more curious that a respected SAN is the VP of Nigeria, where his administration has not seen any diabolical incongruity in what the judge admitted, and he is still allowed to carry on, speaks to the grand design at play.  Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/ccbcctefcc-vs-sarakia-case-many-parties/

*And why Buhari may hand PDP Senate presidency Ignore the sentiments. Relate with the facts. In what is turning out to be spectacular trial of Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the case of alleged false declaration of assets has become a case of Saraki’s alleged illegal acquisition of wealth, with many actors, from a section of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, and its Chairman, Danladi Umar, laying out different scripts. Yet, Buhari’s facade of not being involved or interested in the case – with its obvious incongruities and lapses – may end up handing the Senate presidency to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. With its less than pretty majority in the Senate, the permutation now is that some Senators in APC, who are themselves expressing discomfort at what is going on, may switch votes. This report examines the role of each party (read actor) in this drama. Saraki Saraki Saraki Abubakar Bukola Saraki is the protagonist, the man in the eye of the storm. Since 1999, never has a Senate President come under this type of gloom. And, in what had been a game of revolving chairs, a notorious tradition where previous Senate Presidents collapsed over mere allegations of whatever shade, Saraki is weathering the storm. That his support in the Senate remains very strong shows that he must be loved by majority of his colleagues across party lines. However, that he is standing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, creates a political discount and one which appears really daunting. For a man who eyeballed the establishment in his party to win the Senate presidency, Saraki can be said to have inadvertently brought upon himself this crisis, knowing that he was going to be dealing with politicians with a large appetite for buccaneering. However, at a time when the convention in saner climes suggests that a public office holder embroiled in this type of controversy better serves society by resigning, the obvious political nature what is going on cushions and moderates the angst that Saraki should have naturally suffered. EFCC (Lamorde) EFCC-boss-Ibrahim-Lamorde EFCC-boss-Ibrahim-Lamorde This case seems to be a purely Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, case. The star witness is an EFCC official who repeatedly mentioned the former EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, while giving his evidence. It would have been expected that this should be an EFCC case before the law court – at least based on the drama playing out with the nature of evidence being given. So far, based on evidence adduced before the CCT, there is yet any matter concerning the violation of asset declaration directly; it is still all about wealth acquisition. Interestingly, the current CCT Chairman was being investigated by the EFCC under Lamorde but is known to have been placed on administrative bail – since the story of his administrative bail came into public space, the CCT Chairman has not been known to deny it. Lamorde, himself, has a damning petition filed against him before the Senate by one George Uboh, accusing him of not accounting for about N2.5 trillion recovered from looters of the Nigerian treasury. Curiously, in Saraki, both the CCT Chairman and the EFCC may have found an alliance of some sort. FGN (SGF, VP) The Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, is supervised by the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal and some senators have alleged that the SGF, based on political affinity and the interests involved, may not be unconnected with some activities to achieve the objective of punishing the man who embarrassed his political party. As an avowed Christian leader, it is interesting that the VP is in a leadership position in an administration where travesty appears to be the order of the day regarding the goings-on at the CCB and the CCT. Were it to be VP Yemi Osinbajo’s days as Lagos Attorney General, a situation where a judge who is yet to vacate allegations hanging over his head and, who, interestingly, is still alleged to be on administrative bail from the anti-graft agency, is the one sitting in a matter involving the same anti-graft agency, Osinbajo would have made a profound statement with a view to bringing sanity on board. Worse still, for the issue of not standing to be counted for equity in this matter, the ridiculous spectacle of a judge admitting that an earlier judgment he granted was done in error, makes it all the more curious that a respected SAN is the VP of Nigeria, where his administration has not seen any diabolical incongruity in what the judge admitted, and he is still allowed to carry on, speaks to the grand design at play.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/ccbcctefcc-vs-sarakia-case-many-parties/