Northern group to Saraki: resign now.

The Northern Ethnic Nationalities Unity Congress (NENUC) yesterday called for the resignation of the Senate President Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki.

The call came just as the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) secured a bench warrant for the arrest of the embattled Senate President by the CCB Tribunal over allegations of false declaration of assets dated back to 2003.

The group said the Senate President should resign before he drags the image and reputation of the office he presently occupies further in the mud.

Speaking with reporters yesterday, the National President and Convener of the group, Mr Bako Benjamin, said it is disgusting that the Senate President would rather be seeking court’s protection than going before the anti graft agency to clear his name of the charges.

“Let the Senate President come to equity with clean hands. Let him defend himself against all the charges levelled against him in the spirit of the new wind of change blowing across the country,” Benjamin said.

He said the anti-corruption war spearheaded by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration would be futile if people like the Senate President continue to seek protection from the law courts rather than presenting themselves for the acid test.

Benjamin, who noted that the recourse to the court itself is an admission of guilt, said: “Seeking protection from the law courts is sending a strong signal that he (Saraki) has something to hide.”

The group, he said, has therefore given the Senate President a three-day ultimatum to honourably resign to prevent impeachment proceedings against him for his eventual removal from the exalted office.

NENUC said Saraki’s continued stay in office is “capable of sending wrong signals to the international community and pose a huge question mark on President Buhari’s commitment to ridding the nation of corruption.

He said NENUC would not hesitate to mobilise other well-meaning Nigerians to march on the National Assembly in protest should the Senate President refuse to honourably resign from office within reasonable time.