Buhari hails Saraki's acquittal saying it shows the Nigerian judiciary is independent and working

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has hailed the recent acquittal of senate president Senator Bukola Saraki by the Supreme Court over false asset declaration charges saying it is proof that the Nigerian judiciary is independent and functional.

Senator Saraki has spent the last two years battling with the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over allegations that he provided a false declaration of assets when he was Kwara State governor. Last year, the CCT cleared him of all 18 charges and last Friday, the Supreme Court also dismissed further charges, ending the saga.

Reacting to the development, President Buhari hailed the judiciary for its commitment despite various challenges, adding that the judicial system is truly working irrespective of the challenges it is facing. He added that nobody should therefore be allowed to undermine or break the Nigerian judiciary.

President Buhari said: “I have seen many instances where individuals and groups seek the destruction of the judicial institution in the foolish thinking of saving their skin, instead of going through the painstaking process of establishing their innocence.  In the case of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, I have seen him take the tortuous path of using the judicial process.

“He persevered and in the end, the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, says he is not guilty as charged. This is what I have done in the three elections in which I was cheated out, before God made it possible for me to come here the fourth time I ran for the office.”

Furthermore, the president said the senate president’s journey from the lowest to the highest court of the land provides an important example for Nigerians to emulate. Last April, the Department of State Security also cleared Senator Saraki of ownership of N310m alleged to have been stolen from his house.