A coalition of Northern group has described as unrealistic the call by the Senate on, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) ,Babachir Lawal to resign and face prosecution.
The coalition tagged Northern Emancipation Network, in a statement by its Secretary, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, at the weekend in Minna, also said that the call was “unacceptable’’ to it.
It said that it disagreed with the “suspicious motive’’ of the Shehu Sani committee which did not “consult or invite’’ the SGF to give his own side of the story. Sani and the Senate have since clarified that Mr. Lawal was invited but chose to send a representative instead.
According to the statement, the National Assembly has stripped itself of such moral rights by openly shielding its leaders accused of corrupt practices.
“We challenge the moral authority of the Senate to call for the SGF’s resignation after trooping behind the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to shield him from prosecution for obvious misconduct.
“Likewise, the House of Representatives has no moral justification to seek anybody’s sack over alleged official misdemeanour after collectively protecting its Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, from answering the serious integrity questions raised by its own member, Abdulmumin Jibrin,’’ the groups said.
It insisted that before the National Assembly can reclaim whatever moral right to sanction any official from the executive, it must first surrender its leadership for proper sanction.
“Specifically, we call on Senate President Bukola Saraki to resign and face his pending trial before the Senate can claim the right to call for the SGF’s resignation and prosecution.
“We also call on the House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other officers accused by Jibrin to vacate their offices to allow unhindered investigations as they have no right – legal or moral – to stand as judges in their own case,’’ it said.