Saraki: Civil society groups, NANS plan protests in embassies

A coalition of civil society organisations under the aegis of Heritage Centre and the National Association of Nigerian Students have threatened to lead mass protests to foreign embassies in Abuja to protest alleged political vendetta against Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, but gave no date for it.

They were reacting to the order of Saraki’s arrest by Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged falsification in his assets declaration.

The Director-General of HC, Dr. Katch Ononuju and NANS President, Tijani Usman, who issued the threat during a press briefing on Saturday evening in Abuja, said it was a witch-hunt against the Senate President by what he described as political ‘cabals,’ who should be put under checks by the Federal Government.

Ononuju said, “The President makes appointments and does not refer them to the Senate for confirmation because he does not like the leadership there. Our democracy is under threat and that is why we are talking to Nigerians. ‎Since President Muhammadu Buhari took over, everything is going down. We are calling on the Chief Justice of Nigeria to protect the integrity of the courts by ensuring that injunctions are respected. We are to march to every embassy to tell them that our democracy is under threat.

“The President lacks the political will to fight corruption. We are very worried with the ‎turn out of things. The action by the Senate to appoint its own leadership is the reason behind this witch-hunt. Accidents have been arranged for senators who supported Saraki.

“The DSS has been used to trail senators. The current CCB should not exist. The current leadership came into office in 2010 and their tenure ought to have elapsed in April 2015. The power that seeks to undermine our democracy and the Senate is gaining the upper hand. I sincerely want corruption to be fought headlong, but we do not want a return to the days of Olusegun Obasanjo, where arrests where targeted.”