Saraki is in the eye of a storm following his invitation by the Special Fraud Unit, SFU, of the Nigeria Police over alleged fraud. KAZEEM AKINTUNDE examines the intricacies that has surrounded his invitation vis a vis the unfolding drama.

Senator Bukola Saraki, former governor of Kwara State and former chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) was a guest of the police at the Special Fraud Unit, SFU, in Lagos on May 3, after a month of playing hide and seek game with the law keepers.

He was invited by the SFU, via a letter dated April 3, signed by Tunde Ogunsakin, Commissioner of Police and Head of the SFU. In the letter of invitation sent to Saraki, a copy of which is in possession of LEADERSHIP SUNDAY, Ogunsakin stated that his office received and is investigating a case of conspiracy, forgery and stealing of the sum of N21 billion belonging to Joy Petroleum Limited.

Ogunsakin stated in his letter: "This office is in receipt of and investigating a case of conspiracy, forgery and stealing the sum of N21 billion belonging to Joy Petroleum Limited. The investigation has reached an advanced stage and is expected to be concluded soon.

"With due respect, I humbly wish to request the pleasure of his distinguished to consider this letter as an invitation to this office with the aim of assisting our investigation. It would be appreciated if his excellency can make himself available on Thursday April 5 at 1200 hrs at special fraud unit, Sunday Adewusi House, 13, Milverton Road Ikoyi."

Rather than honouring the invitation, Senator Saraki took the legal option by heading for the court to seek an injunction against the police for the invitation. In a suit filed by his lawyers at a Federal High Court in Abuja, Saraki wants the court to determine whether it is not a violation of this right under section 34 and 35 of the 1999 constitution for the police to invite him without any allegations or accusations specifically made against him.

Another questions for determination was whether the letter written to Saraki can be complied with in the absence of any specific allegations. But the former governor who felt that he has nothing to hide and that he was being persecuted by the cabal in the oil industry agreed to honour the invitation. He was at the Police headquarter in Abuja where he was directed to come to Lagos and see Ogunsakin.

His meeting with Ogunsakin was more like an anti-climax as Saraki spent less than two hours with the police after which he was allowed to go. Though details of his discussion with the law enforcement agents are still sketchy, LEADERSHIP SUNDAY learnt that Saraki may have been given a clean bill of health by the police.

Many of his admirers are now of the view that Saraki became a target of the oil cabal after he raised a motion on the floor of the senate for an in-depth investigation of the oil subsidy scheme.

His motion gave impetus to the senate to commence a probe of the oil sector. But the issue went out of hand when the Federal Government on January 1, 2012 announced a new price regime for fuel which shot up the price of the commodity from N65 per litre to N141.

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the civil society grounded the whole nation for 10 days through a debilitating strike action before the government was forced to peg the price of fuel to N97.

But the nature of the strike, unprecedented in the history of the country, and the call by many Nigerians for a cleanup of the oil industry, led to the commencement of a probe into the oil sector by the House of Representatives. Expectedly, the lower House uncovered monumental fraud in the sector as fuel subsidy payment shot up from less than N300 billion in 2007 to more than N1 trillion in 2011.

With Nigerians calling for the prosecution of those that benefited from the rot in the oil industry, the perception now is the cabal behind the sleaze are fighting back and one man who has been penciled down is Saraki. Indeed, his former media aide, Billy Adedamola said his former principal became a target for raising the issue of the fraud in the oil sector on the floor of the senate.

Indeed, many of his supporters in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital were in Lagos to show solidarity with their leader when Saraki appeared before Ogunsakin and they openly accused the cabal in the oil industry of instigating the police invitation. "Here is a man who moved the motion for the probe of the oil sector and he is now being witch-hunted by those who control the oil industry.

In other advanced counties people like Saraki are honoured but the reverse is the case with us in Nigeria," a PDP chieftain from Kwara told News men in Lagos.

Saraki's Lawyer, Lawal Rabana, also believes that his client is being persecuted for exposing the rot in the oil industry. He told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that the invitation sent to his client was all about politics as the fuel subsidy cabal whom Saraki exposed are the ones fighting back.

"He has nothing to hide as all the questions put to him by the police regarding Joy Petroleum have been successfully answered and there is no reason for my client to fear. Those who did what they did wanted to dent his image but they would not succeed," he said.

The questions many political analysts are asking is why would Saraki, a very senior politician in the ruling PDP now turn around to castigate the chop I chop politics that the party is noted for.

They agree that Saraki himself was the architect of his own problem when he raised such sensitive issue on the floor of the senate. "Those who live in glass houses are expected not to throw stones but Saraki cast the first stone and should expect whatever he gets in return,"  a pro-democracy activist told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY in Lagos.

One of his aides who spoke with LEADERSHIP SUNDAY said Saraki was mindful of the repercussion of what he did on the floor of the senate but that he was shocked at the level of rot he discovered in the system. "He did what he did out of patriotism and the love he has for the country. If he had not raised the issue and fuel price was not increase in January, the corruption in the sector would still be on till now," the aide said.

The Save Nigeria Group and the National Conscience Party are also of the view that Saraki is a victim of the fuel subsidy cabal.

The National Secretary of NCP and a secretariat executive of SNG, Tanko Yunusa, said the fuel subsidy cabal may have declared a war on Saraki using the anti-corruption agencies to 'deal' with him for daring to move a motion, which robbed them of their stupendous wealth at the expense of the masses of Nigeria.

Yunusa condemned what he described as the politicisation of the fuel subsidy probe and the alleged victimisation of those who have shown the will and commitment in fighting corruption.

"This signal being sent by the Federal Government and its agencies is a clear demonstration that the war against corruption is going nowhere. It is high time we pursued national interest for our collective good, instead of political vendetta, which has completely robbed the nation of true statesmanship like the frank posture of Saraki and his fearless colleagues in both chambers of the National Assembly," he said.

The Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party, through its publicity secretary, Alhaji Mas'ud Adepimbe, also said that it is on record that as a governor, Saraki was not at any time found wanting in the discharge of his constitutional duties or found to have used his office to enrich himself despite what he called various fallacious allegations and propaganda by the opposition.

He stated that during Saraki's eight-year service as governor, Kwara not only witnessed unprecedented transformation of its civil service status to an economic hub, but also became an 'investor-friendly state,' which culminated in various private sector organisations investing in the state.

"The PDP makes bold to say that Saraki did not in any way tamper with the resources of Kwarans while he held sway. Instead, he made sacrifices to make the state a pride of all, by bringing into fore his wealth of experience from the private sector to galvanise growth and development of our state. Saraki's record of service is available in the public domain.

"As a party, we're confident that our leader would soon be vindicated, as the coordinated persecution and media propaganda would fail. We know and believe him to be a man of integrity and honour who believes in selfless service to his fellow beings and humanity in general and not one of those who steal public fund," Adepimbe said.