Statement
on Commencement of Trial at FCT High Court
Abuja,
Nigeria, June 27, 2016, we the leaders of the Nigerian Senate reiterate our
innocence against the charges filed by the Attorney General of the Federal
Government of Nigeria at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on the
allegations of forgery of the Senate Standing Rules document.
In
our view, the charges filed by the Attorney General represent a violation of
the principle of the Separation of Powers between the Executive Branch and the
Legislative Branch as enshrined in our Constitution. Furthermore, it is farcical to allege that a
criminal act occurred during Senate procedural actions and the mere suggestion
demonstrates a desperate overreach by the office of the Attorney General. These
trumped up charges is only another phase in the relentless persecution of the
leadership of the Senate
This
misguided action by the Attorney General begs the question, how does this
promote the public interest and benefit the nation? At a time when the whole of government should
be working together to meet Nigeria’s many challenges, we are once again
distracted by the Executive Branch’s inability to move beyond a leadership
election among Senate peers. It was not an election of Senate peers and
Executive Branch participants.