Nigerians Must Rally Around Saraki, Senate, Says Nwaoboshi

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has said the present situation at the National Assembly should encourage Nigerians to support the Senate in its current faceoff with the Executive in the interest of democracy in Nigeria.

He also noted that both chambers of the Assembly are capable of resisting the emergence of a dictator in the governance of the country.
Nwaoboshi, who represents Delta North Senatorial District in the Senate, made the assertion while fielding questions from newsmen in Asaba, and stressed that the face-off between the Executive and the Legislature was one that borders on resistance against dictatorial tendencies of the Executive arm of government.

He stressed that all well-meaning Nigerians and genuine lovers of democracy should rally around the Senate under the leadership of Saraki to checkmate the country from gradual relapse into dictatorship of the past. Specifically, he argued that the trial of national legislators, particularly those opposed to the dictatorial attitude of the Executive arm of government, was “ clearly politically motivated.”

Nwaoboshi described as preposterous the attempt to rope in the Senate President with allegation of sponsorship of armed robbery in a state where he (Saraki),was governor for eight years.

According to Nwaoboshi, “What we are doing in the senate is to resist the emergence of dictatorship in Nigeria. We are rising as the voice of the people to say that our democracy must succeed. The democracy of Nigeria is greater than any individual.

“Saraki is a successful man by all ramifications; he is a son of a successful politician, a former governor of two terms. And, you now say he is involved in armed robbery! What does that tell a prospective investor, that the Number Three Citizen is an armed robber?
“What is your (EFCC) business with a man who takes a loan to improve his business, and he is repaying the loan? What they are telling us is that any dissenting voice should be silenced.”

“I don’t owe anybody any apology for agitating for what is right and for good governance for my people, as a member of the opposition. My duty as a senator on the platform of the opposition is to criticise the government of the day where necessary, and support any policy that will uplift my people”, Nwaoboshi said.

Nwaoboshi however said that he doubted that President Buhari was directly responsible for some of the frame-ups and phantom cases of alleged corruption.

“I don’t think it is Buhari doing all this but those who want to thrust themselves to power or remain in government that are framing up persons. It is the people around him who committed in the past and want to remain in government that are orchestrating this by using the name of the president. Buhari has his health and serious national issues to contend with.“

On the reported allegation by former president Olusegun Obasanjo that President! Uhammadu Buhari was attempting to frame him up just to silence him, Senator Nwaoboshi said many Nigerians would not sympathise with Obasanjo because he did everything to ensure that Buhari became the president in 2015.

“Former president Obasanjo said then that Buhari must to be supported to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from destroying Nigeria; now he wants us to be sympathetic over claims he is about to be roped in by the same Buhari”, the senator submitted.