Date: 2016-02-22

Let me say that as much as the Senate President Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki will not like to join issues with Senator Kabiru Marafa who is billed to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on issues bordering on ethics, decorum and uttering of unguarded statements unbecoming of a Distinguished Senator, I Senator Rafiu Ibrahim will like to state as follows for the purpose of clarity:

1. How can anybody reduce the issue of the controversies bordering on budgets to the creation of just one person, the Senate President? The questions that arise from this claim are: were there versions of the budget? Yes, there were. The President himself on January 15, 2016 wrote to admit that there were versions of the budget. Also, after the various irregularities pointed out and openly admitted by the Ministers during Budget Defence sessions, the chairmen of the Committees on Appropriation in both Chambers on February 10, 2016 jointly addressed the press that the February 25 date set for the passage of the 2016 budget would not be feasible. In fact, it was the House Chairman who first gave the indication to that effect. How is Dr. Saraki now being dragged into it? I think the Press should be wary of people who play politics with almost any issue because they want to be in the news.

2. He also spoke about the Senate President doctoring Senate Standing Order and unilaterally creating committees. These are allegations that are subjects of a litigation that he himself initiated. Is he no longer going to wait for the court verdict?

However, it should be noted that the Standing Order was in place before Dr. Saraki was elected Senate President. It had been there from the Seventh Senate.

3. It should be noted that the SP did not initiate the discussion on the floor of the Senate about the statements Senator Marafa made which are alleged to have brought the institution to disrepute. Other Senators did. And the SP will not single handedly determine the matter now before the Ethics committee.

There is something wrong about the fact that out of 109 Senators, Senator Marafa is standing alone abusing everybody, perhaps to continue to get relevance. Like he is always advising others to do, he should go and defend himself before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges and stop creating distractions. He should abide by the rules of the Senate, which he swore to uphold upon his inauguration as a Senator.

SIGNED

Senator Rafiu Ibrahim

Kwara South Senatorial District