Unconfirmed reports have it that Senate President Bukola Saraki has swallowed his pride for necessary peace talks with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Senate President Bukola Sarak
Emerging reports circulating the Nigerian newswire have it that Senate President Bukola Saraki has made clandestine moves to squash the trial of the senate principal officers at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged forgery of the senate standing rules.
According to SaharaReporters, Saraki reportedly held a covert meeting with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami to drop charges against him and his deputy from the People's Democratic Party, Ike Ekweremadu.
The private meeting reportedly took place yesterday, 12th of July, 2016 at the premises of the Senate when Mr. Malami, accompanied by Ita Enang, President Muhammadu Buhari’s special assistant on the National Assembly, arrived to see Senator David Umaru, head of the Senate committee on the judiciary. Mr. Malami had gone to assure Senator Umaru of his willingness to honour an invitation by the senatorial committee.
A source at the Senate and another in the AGF’s office told a correspondent that Mr. Saraki requested to see Mr. Malami after the AGF’s meeting with Senator Umaru. A reliable source said the attorney general acceded to the meeting with Senator Saraki, choosing to see Mr. Saraki in the presence of Ita Enang.
However, just before the meeting started, Senator Saraki and Mr. Malami agreed that it should be private.
Sources disclosed that the embattled senator, who is facing two trials, one for alleged falsification in his asset declarations, the other for alleged forgery of Senate rules, turned the short meeting into a begging session. One source who was briefed on what transpired told a correspondent that Mr. Saraki pleaded with the attorney general not be part of those persecuting him, swearing that he knew nothing about the alleged forgery of Senate rules under which he was elected as Senate President.
One of our sources claimed that Mr. Malami spoke sympathetically, but declined to make a commitment to stop the prosecution of Senators Saraki and Ekweremadu.
Saraki's camp as at the time of making this report has failed to debunk the report which has gone viral on the online news media.