Senate President, Mr. Bukola Saraki, Wednesday gave reasons why he did not honour the invitation by the Police.
In a letter to the police on his invitation written on Tuesday, Saraki, through Yusuph Olaniyonu, his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, noted that all the issues and questions raised in the police invitation were answered, stressing that the letter was written and dispatched to the police on Tuesday.
He said after answering all the questions raised by the police in his letter, he did not believe there was any further need for him to go to the police personally.
The Senate leader also said he believed his letter to the police was enough, hence there was no need for him to go personally to the police for the same issue.
It will be recalled that Saraki had on Monday night in his response to the invitation sent to him by the Police to report to a station in Guzape over the Offa robbery investigation, described it as a plot designed by the Presidency and the federal government to force him and his associates to remain in the ruling, All Progressives Congress, APC, a party he described as where its members are criminalized without just cause.
According to Saraki, the invitation by the Police is mere afterthought which is designed to achieve political purpose and to also compel him and his associates to continue to fraternize with the APC.
He said the design of the police might be in connection with his 2019 political ambition, which was not a personal decision for him to arrive at.
Ibrahim Idris, the Inspector-General of Police, had on Monday invited Saraki to appear before the Police Special Anti-Robbery Unit at Guzape to answer questions over his alleged involvement in the Offa robbery incident.
Saraki had said: “This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail.
“While I continue to maintain that the issue of my position on the 2019 elections is not a personal decision for me alone to make, it should be noted that all these concoctions and evil plot cannot deter me. Those behind this fresh assault will fail as I have nothing to do with the robbery incident or any criminal matter for that matter.”
Saraki had said that he heard it on good authority that the Police had already decided on the suspects to arraign in court in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Wednesday based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed U.E., adding that the turn around to invite him was a ploy to score cheap political points.
He had said: ” I have been reliably informed that the police invitation was planned by IG as a ploy to stop an alleged plan by some senators and House of Representatives members from defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
”It was also said that if I was detained between Tuesday and Wednesday, that will abort the so-called defection plan.
“While I continue to maintain that the issue of my position on the 2019 elections is not a personal decision for me alone to make, it should be noted that all these concoctions and evil plot cannot deter me. Those behind this fresh assault will fail as I have nothing to do with the robbery incident or any criminal matter for that matter.
“I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018, to the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, of the Federation had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018, in which he stated on page 5, paragraph (f) that “for the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects.
“The Police have obviously corrupted and politicized their investigations into the Offa robbery incident. They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, witch-hunt issue for blackmailing people from freely choosing which platform on which they want to pursue their ambition and a matter for harassing the people whose exit from APC would harm the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections.
” I want to make it apparent that I have no hand in either the robbery incident or any criminal activity. The Police in their haste to embarrass me sent the invitation to me at 8pm and requested that I report to the station by 8am the following day. This obviously demonstrated their desperation as I do not see why they are now in a hurry.
“They also stated in the letter that because in my response of June 7, 2018 to their own letter written on June 4, 2018, I stated that I was responding simply to the contents of the letter and that the full text of the statement made by the arrested suspects which they claimed indicted me was not made available to me, they were now including the suspects statements in the current letter.
”Yet, instead of including the suspects’ statements, they only attached two copies of my own letter to the invitation. No suspects statement was made available.
“This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail.
“Once again, my confidence in God and our judicial system remains intact and unshaken. The truth shall also prevail in this case.”
