The senate president, Bukola Saraki, has denied being involved in the N60bn arms deal involving the immediate past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
Saraki said the report was a plot by Sahara Reporters to tarnish his reputation, as the medium was in his words, pursuing "the singular objective of removing him from the office of the Senate President."
The Sahara Reporters' report accused Mr. Saraki of blackmailing the Central Bank of Nigeria to pay him and other senators N250 million as a way of covering up the arbitrary withdrawal by the NSA from the security fund approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“First, there is no logic in Sahara Reporters’ claim as Dr. Saraki who was persecuted by the last administration could not have had the influence and good standing to walk up to the Central Bank to demand for any money having exposed many atrocities of the past administration. Again, on what ground would the Senate President blackmail anyone for 250 Million naira? It must be emphasized here that Dr. Saraki will never engage in any sharp practice or issue which will warrant him to blackmail any individual or government institution.
“Therefore for record purposes, Dr. Saraki did not collect any money from any official of the CBN in respect of any arms deal. The Senate President also challenge SaharaReporters or any official of the apex bank, Senator, serving or past, who witnessed or participated in any sharing of the alleged money purported to have been received by him, to come out with evidence.
“It should be recalled that SaharaReporters believe it can continue to disparage and defame people claiming that it is operating outside the country. The medium cannot operate above the law.
“The game being played by SaharaReporters and its sponsors is clear. As they have done in previous cases involving the on-going trial of the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, they are targeting the Appeal at the Supreme Court coming up on Thursday, December 3rd 2015. They want to prejudice the Supreme Court as they have done when they blackmailed a judge of the Federal High Court to withdraw from the case and also published false reports, which compelled the Court of Appeal to postpone its judgment at the last minute.
“Whatever the motive of Sahara Reporters, it is high time we employed the instrument of the law to stop this act of impunity aimed at publishing false reports believing the victims will not go to court or be frustrated by its dubious claims that they are domiciled outside Nigeria."
But Sahara Reporters has fired back. The medium reacted on Tuesday, saying it stood by its report and assured Saraki it will defend its position in any court within and outside Nigeria.
“As Nigeria’s number three man, there is no need for him to do legal tourism by going to courts outside the country. He should believe in the system and go to any court in Nigeria,” the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, told Premium Times.
“We are ready to meet him in any court in Nigeria. If he goes to court to challenge us outside of Nigeria, he would be using the money he has taken from the Nigerian people to pay expensive lawyers outside the shores of Nigeria whereas all the evidences of his corruption are based here in Nigeria.”
SR's Sowore said the senate under Saraki failed to raise any concern about the extra-budgetary withdrawals, even when it knew about it, because its leaders were involved in the fraud..
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