SsharaReporters has
reported that a pensive Senate President, Bukola Saraki, today held a private
meeting with the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and
pleaded with the AGF to drop forgery charges against him and his deputy,
Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
The private meeting
took place today at the premises of the Senate when Mr. Malami, accompanied by
Ita Enang, President Muhammadu Buhari’s special assistant on the National
Assembly, arrived to see Senator David Umaru, head of the Senate committee on
the judiciary. Mr. Malami had gone to assure Senator Umaru of his willingness
to honor an invitation by the senatorial committee.
A source at the
Senate and another in the AGF’s office told SaharaReporters that Mr. Saraki
requested to see Mr. Malami after the AGF’s meeting with Senator Umaru. Our
sources said the attorney general acceded to the meeting with Senator Saraki,
choosing to see Mr. Saraki in the presence of Ita Enang.
However, just before
the meeting started, Senator Saraki and Mr. Malami agreed that it should be
private.
Our sources
disclosed that the embattled senator, who is facing two trials, one for alleged
falsification in his asset declarations, the other for alleged forgery of
Senate rules, turned the short meeting into a begging session. One source who
was briefed on what transpired told our correspondent that Mr. Saraki pleaded
with the attorney general not be part of those persecuting him, swearing that
he knew nothing about the alleged forgery of Senate rules under which he was
elected as Senate President.
One of our sources
claimed that Mr. Malami spoke sympathetically, but declined to make a
commitment to stop the prosecution of Senators Saraki and Ekweremadu.
Following the AGF’s
non-committal stance, a senator told SaharaReporters that Mr. Malami was likely
to face hostile questioning when he is answers the summons of the Senate
Judiciary committee. Mr. Malami is expected to appear before the committee
tomorrow at 11 a.m. (Nigerian time).
Our Senate source
disclosed that the members of the committee were divided over the summons to
Mr. Malami. “Some members feel that the invitation to Malami to appear is
solely intended to bully him so as to force him to withdraw charges against Dr.
Saraki and Senator Ekweremadu,” the source said.
One committee member
argued that the summons itself violates the constitution and Senate rules which
forbid senatorial intervention in matters that are before the courts. He cited
Section 174 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution, which empowers the AGF to
initiate legal proceedings against anybody according to the discretion vested
in his office. The senator also remarked that Section 150 of the constitution
shows that the office of the Attorney General of the Federation is one of the
few offices created by the constitution.
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