Saraki Corruption Charges: Go And Clear Your Name In Court – TMG Tells Saraki

FROM LEFT: PROJECT MANAGER, TRANSITION MONITORING GROUP (TMG), MR LAZARUS APIR, TMG CHAIRMAN, MR IBRAHIM ZIKIRULLAHI AND THE VICE CHAIRMAN, HAJIA LIMOTA GOROSO, AT A NEWS CONFERENCE.
FROM LEFT: PROJECT MANAGER, TRANSITION MONITORING GROUP (TMG), MR LAZARUS APIR, TMG CHAIRMAN, MR IBRAHIM ZIKIRULLAHI AND THE VICE CHAIRMAN, HAJIA LIMOTA GOROSO, AT A NEWS CONFERENCE.

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Thursday, called on Nigerians to set aside sentiment regarding the impending trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki over corrupt charges leveled against him, saying “he should go and clear his name”.

Information Nigeria on Wednesday reported that the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, had slammed a 13-count corruption charge bordering on alleged corruption and false declaration of assets by the Senate president and was going to arraign him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, tomorrow (Friday).

We had also reported that the charges were from his time as Governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2007.

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But Saraki had denied the charges leveled against him saying it was politically motivated to impugn his integrity and bring to disrepute the Office of the Senate President.

Reacting to this in a press conference on the state of the nation, in Abuja, the Chairman of TMG, Comrade Ibrahim Zikirullahi, said people should desist from politicizing issues, particularly as it relates to the ongoing anti-corruption war.

According to him, “For us it is part of the fight against corruption, and for the very first time, the untouchable is being touched. It is when it happens to big one out there that you will begin to hear witch-hunt and all kind of stories. But what you should also note is that if there is no witch, there will be no hunter; so there was witch before hunting.

“It is left for Saraki to go to court and prove his innocence. So, that he is charged does not mean he is guilty of those offences. I believe it is a wakeup call, for people and politician to know that if this thing can happen to people up there, there is no hidden place for those at state and local levels.

“We should not also support to frustrate the process if those charges are actually correct. We should do everything to support the fight, because over time we seen that our judiciary has become cash and carry”.