We Are Solidly Behind Saraki – PDP

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, who revealed this to newsmen on Sunday, said the party still believed that the trial of Saraki was political.

The party stated that they have no intention of abandoning the Senate president until it sees the merit of the case.

Metuh said, “We have no candidate for the office of the Senate President, because we have a fit person occupying the position for now.

“We are behind him and we can’t abandon him just because he is undergoing trial. Anybody can be put on trial, but the question we should ask is whether the trial is political or not.

“Does the trial have merit? When we see the merit of the case, we will take position. But for now, there is nothing like that.”
Saraki, a former governor of Kwara State, is currently facing a 13-count charge filled September 11 before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Mr. Saraki was accused of offences ranging from anticipatory declaration of assets to making false declaration of assets in forms he filed before the Code of Conduct Bureau while he was governor of the state.

Since his arraignment before the tribunal, there had been speculations that the PDP, which produced Saraki’s deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, had been scheming to replace him with one of its senators.

However, Metuh said it was too early for the party to be thinking of abandoning the Senate president, adding that PDP was still of the opinion that Saraki was being prosecuted because of his political belief.

Metuh said, “We are not even thinking of replacement for Saraki for now. The National Assembly is a separate arm of the government just like the judiciary and the executive.

“Is anyone thinking that there would be leadership change in the executive and the judiciary?

“Are they not independent of the other? What we are interested in is that all the three arms of government must be allowed to function independently of the other. We are saying there shouldn’t be any interference.”