The Presidency has described the acquittal of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on Wednesday as a ‘mockery of the anti-corruption war.’
Recall that the CCT had on Wednesday upheld the no-case submission of the Senate President, discharging him of the 18 charges filed against him.
Reacting to the judgment, a Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Okoi Obono-Obla, described as balderdash, the speculations that the CCT’s verdict was the result of a political settlement reached between Saraki and some high-profiled members of the Buhari administration.
Obono-Obla said, “It is a travesty of justice. It is pedestrian and it is outrageous. It is against the weight.
“There was overwhelming evidence, cogent evidence, incontrovertible evidence, which cannot be dismissed by a no-case submission. The trial judge ought to have called on the defendant to enter his defence against the evidence adduced by the prosecution.
“The prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), is one of the best in the country and he conducted that case professionally, conscientiously and diligently.
“So, we are amazed, we are surprised. It is balderdash; it is hogwash.
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“We know that President Muhammadu Buhari is a paragon of integrity. The Attorney General of the Federation is also a paragon of integrity that will never compromise cases.”
Obono-Obla, however, vowed that the anti-corruption fight would continue despite the setback.
He said, “And we will go on with this fight against corruption despite the frustration, despite the setback.
“We will go back to the drawing board, re-strategise because Nigeria must be saved. Our head is bruised but it is unbowed.”
