Group resorts to prayers to save Saraki

A group known as Prayers Work (PW) and based in Kwara state has concluded arrangements to gather over 1,000 Christian and Moslem clerics with the sole objective of ensuring that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki triumphed at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), through prayers.

Besides, at the heat of the unfolding trend in the state’s politics, some political leaders under the aegis of Leaders of Thought, North Central Geo-Political Zone yesterday expressed their disaffection with the trial of the Senate President by the CCT.

Saraki is standing trial at the CCT over alleged criminal conduct and irregularities in his assets declaration when he was governor of Kwara State.

The coordinator of Prayers Work, Suleiman Maja informed The Guardian that they resolved to assemble the clerics because of their belief in the effectiveness of prayers as well as their regard for Saraki.

“We believe so much in the efficacy of prayers. We have seen about 1,000 clerics in Christianity and Islam who have willingly showed interest in begging God for Saraki’s success before the CCT.

“We believe God will give him victory and when this is accomplished, it will increase the faith of others by putting their trust in God and not any man. Man will fail but God will always win,” he stated.

Meanwhile, some political leaders under the aegis of Leaders of Thought North Central Geo-Political Zone have expressed their disaffection with the trial of the Senate President.

Addressing the press in Ilorin, the leaders of the group drawn from Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau and Kwara States, canvassed the termination of the trial or alternatively, re-arraign former Lagos state, Governor Bola Tinubu alleged to have committed a similar offence as Saraki but allegedly discharged and acquitted in error.

According to the spokesman of the group, Senator Mohammed Ahmed from Kwara state, “We call for the immediate dismissal of the ongoing trial at the CCT but should this injustice and political persecution continue then Chief Bola Tinubu must be re-arraigned immediately.”

Other members of the organisation at the event: Mohammed Awal (Niger state), Tijani Adeika and Dayo Thomas (Kogi state), Samuel Alaibi (Benue state), Subir Abubakar, Oba Bolanta and Yusuf Ayedun from Kwara state.

The group enumerated some of the achievements of Saraki describing him as one of the strategists of the All Progressives Congress (APC), whose contributions resulted in APC sweeping all the available political offices in the zone during the last general elections in Nigeria.

Besides, it argued that influence and acceptability in the Senate was responsible “for the first time since 1999, that the budget was passed the same day in both chambers with similar figures without any need for a joint committee to harmonise their differences. Harmonisation was done from the start.

“With the Senate searchlight on Treasury Single Account (TSA) Nigeria is saving over N600million everyday. The war against Boko Haram is being won because the National Assembly approved the funds. He brought succour to Nigerians from cancellation of fixed PHCN charges from DISCO tariff and saved the nation from labour strike in that regard among many others.”

Ahmed added, “as leaders in the zone that produced Senate President, we are compelled to cry out on the injustice being done to our illustrious son, Saraki who God recently elevated to the position of the Senate President.”