*Visits Acting President, Osinbajo; promises more visits

Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, yesterday told Nigerians that it was wrong to condemn the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, before he was even found guilty by the court. Saraki is standing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, over alleged false assets declaration. Saraki Speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting with the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Ndume said Saraki would not resign his position unless convicted by the court.

He also dismissed insinuations that the meeting with Osinbajo had political connotation as to finding a political solution to the trials of the Senate President.

He said: "It is not new for people to read meaning. Are you saying that the Senate President should be convicted before the trial? In our constitution, you are considered innocent until proven guilty."

Speaking on the reason for the visit, Ndume, who was accompanied by Senators Dino Melaye and Abdullahi Adamu, said: "This government is our government. I am the Senate Leader in this government, so my coming here today is not supposed to be a new thing. My coming here should even be more regular.

"This is not the first time we are coming here. But this is the first time we are having the Vice President as Acting President. That is one of the reasons we are here. "This is because we are setting a new example. During the previous government, the President will just go and leave the place blank."

Ndume stated that Nigerians should expect more consultations with the Villa. He said: "But this time around, when our President goes for a few days, he transmitted to all Nigerians that the Vice President is to act as the President. "'So we came for the regular consultation. There is nothing new about it and we will be doing more of this.

"You should expect me to be coming here. Now we have the budget as work in progress; we have the new Money Laundering Bill before the Senate. "We have many things we are looking at. We have come to consult on these."