NLC, TUC, others advise Senator Saraki to resign

Members of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade
Union Congress, have asked the President of the Senate,
Senator Bukola Saraki, to resign from his position as
the senate president pending the outcome of his case at
the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
They said that even though Saraki is still on trial and
has not been found guilty of the allegations against him,
it is morally right for him to resign his job.
President of the TUC, Mr. Bobboi Bala, in an interview
with Sunday Punch on Saturday, said Saraki has a
moral burden to resign.
He said, “Resignation is a moral burden on
people. But if somebody feels that he will carry
his cross, go to the courts and try to exonerate
himself, he should be given the opportunity. But it
would be too bad if at the end of the day, he is
found guilty. It does not speak well of public office
holders.
“In other countries, as soon as such things
happen, people tender their letters of resignation.
Obviously, it is a moral burden on him. We hope
all politicians will begin to know that no matter
how highly placed they are, one day, they will
definitely have to account for their stewardship.”
Several chapters of the NLC and the TUC across the
states also asked for Saraki’s resignation on Saturday.
He said: “As it were, the Senate President is
sitting on a delicate seat. If it were a civilised
society, he would have stepped aside to allow for a
fair trial, so that he won’t allow his official
position to influence the decision of the tribunal.”
Also, the Ekiti State Chairman of the NLC, Mr.
Raymond Adesanmi, advised Saraki to step down from
office.
He said, “If it were in other climes, he would
have resigned. My advice for him would be to step
down as the Senate President to answer the
charges against him. If at the end of the day he
is not found guilty, he could return to his
position.”
Second Republic Governor of old Kaduna State and
Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties,
Mr. Balarabe Musa, on Saturday, also urged Saraki
to step down as Senate President as a show of respect
for his office.
Musa said, “First of all, it depends on his
conscience. If he knows that the allegations
against him have anything bordering on
genuineness and if he knows that he has not done
anything above board, he should succumb to his
conscience.
“In honour of the institution he represents, it is
therefore best for him to resign in order not to
undermine the position of the judge.
“If he knows that there are elements of truth in
the allegations against him, he should not cost the
government so much in court and thereby
undermine the integrity of the bench; he should
just resign. He is still young; he still has a lot
of opportunities.”