SARAKI AS A MORAL BURDEN – by Frank Ofili

At the resumed trial of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) today, Friday 11th March, 60 lawyers (many of them Senior Advocates) appeared for him; while 30 senators (one of them the common sense "tweetnator") accompanied him in solidarity. Some of the senators present were Ike Ekweremadu, Abdullahi Sabi, Stella Oduah, Hope Uzodinma, Shehu Sani, Dino Melaye, Sam Anyanwu, Ben Murray-Bruce, Shehu Sani, Stella Oduah, and many more.

Great! Nigeria is evolving everyday in different forms and formation. Once honourable men and women are now turning themselves into nonentities while otherwise noble professions  have become glorified area boys. 

What else illustrates this better than the men and women who were at the CCT today with Saraki? Senators became body guards while lawyers down-graded from charge and bail to "waka pass" lawyers.  How many of those lawyers who appeared for Saraki today actually had opportunity to stand and speak before the judge of the CCT? Most were simply contented with putting up appearance. I would wager many were simply rented – not strange in our clime, if you get what I mean. After all, we are familiar with rented crowds

60 lawyers! Was that mammoth crowd of lawyers intended to intimidate the judge or the prosecution?  Whatever it was, it is nothing but judicial bullying and rascality. I remember Ricky Tarfa's case was no different. 100 lawyers appeared for him! We are a funny people in this country. 

Saraki must be having fun seeing all those otherwise mighty men and women fall over themselves to kowtow to him, including his colleagues in the Senate. 

That the common sense tweetnator does not see the moral contradiction in showing solidarity with a supposed chief law maker who decided to turn himself into a lawyer breaker is not surprising. Despite his sanctimonious pretensions, Ben Murray Bruce was never up there on the moral and integrity pedestal. His Silverbird Man of the Year Awards attest to this. More often than not, the awards are bought and sold like items in the open market. If not, how could a man like immediate past Governor of Delta State Emmanuel Uduaghan ever win the award? 

Those who are carried away by Ben Murray Bruce's tweets easily accuse those of us who are skeptical, of being blind. But they have not been able to prove to us that they can see. Ben Bruce's politricks is all too obvious to the discerning, just as Saraki's judicial stalling is. Saraki needs not go into this judicial equivalent of Tom and Jerry if he has nothing to hide. 

But of course our senators won't see that. To all intents and purposes, the Saraki trial has proven that members of the 8th Senate are anything but honourable. They don't give a damn about their integrity or the sanctity of the National Assembly.  That members of the highest law-making organ of the country do not have any qualms whatsoever showing  open solidarity with their leader standing trial for breaking the law of the land is not only a sign of inadequate comprehension of their role as moral exemplars but also a very sad commentary on their self-worth as legislators and as educated people. 

Bukola Saraki's leadership of the Senate remains a moral burden on the National Assembly. In saner climes, a man in his shoes would not spend a day longer in office the moment he was charged at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false declaration of assets. He would have long stepped down as Senate President, and may be even resign his seat as Senator. And where he does not, his own colleagues would have shown him the exit door. 

But this is Nigeria where strange things are never strange.