Peoples Democratic Party

Peoples Democratic Party has declared its

unwavering support for Senate president Bukola

Saraki, dismissing reports that it is scheming to

replace him.

We had reported on Sunday that the opposition PDP

was already penciling down some of its Senators to

replace Saraki, who is currently under pressure to

resign from office following his trial for false asset

declaration by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

But the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP,

Chief Olisa Metuh, on Sunday, said the party still

believed that the Senate president’s trial was

politically motivated and that the PDP would not

think of abandoning him until it sees the merit of the

case.

Metuh said, “We have no candidate for the office of

the Senate President, because we have a fit person

occupying the position for now.

“We are behind him and we can’t abandon him just

because he is undergoing trial. Anybody can be put

on trial, but the question we should ask is whether

the trial is political or not.

“Does the trial have merit? When we see the merit

of the case, we will take position. But for now, there

is nothing like that”.

Saraki, a former governor of Kwara State, is

currently facing 13 counts of making false

declaration as a governor between 2003 and 2011.

While insisting that Saraki’s trial is as a result of his

political belief, Metuh said it was too early for the

PDP to be talking with its members in the Senate or

thinking of abandoning the Senate president.

According to the opposition spokesman, “We are

not even thinking of replacement for Saraki for now.

The National Assembly is a separate arm of the

government just like the judiciary and the

executive.

“Is anyone thinking that there would be leadership

change in the executive and the judiciary?

“Are they not independent of the other? What we

are interested in is that all the three arms of

government must be allowed to function

independently of the other. We are saying there

shouldn’t be any interference”.

Metuh also stated that Saraki’s “trial doesn’t

amount to conviction”.