Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has berated senators for abandoning their legislative duties and accompanying Senate President Bukola Saraki to the Code of Conduct Tribunal where he is answering charges of corruption.
The former minister took to her official Twitter handle to express her irritation saying that the act was shameful and tantamount to debasing the Senate as an institution.
She stated senators following a colleague to court to answer charges of corruption was not the done thing in any part of the world.
As stated by Ezekwesili, such an act of solidarity by those in government was the reason why Nigeria continued to receive negative international ratings in the area of corruption.
In a series of tweets aimed at Saraki, the former minister said, “Honestly, my dear Bukola Saraki, you should have dissuaded your colleagues from doing such damage to the democratic institution of the National Assembly.
“My dear friend, leadership by example is everything. You should not privatise our democratic institution. Our dear lawmakers would do well to quickly retrace their steps from this egregious and ill-advised ‘union’ on a private judicial proceeding.
“Citizens must realise that we cannot afford to permit our public officials to continue with the habit of privatising democratic institutions.
“When next citizens see our country’s low ranking on Transparency International’s Corrupt Perception Index and Mo Ibrahim’s Goverce Index, please connect the dots.”
In subsequent tweets, the former minister stated those defending the act of the lawmakers were ignorant.
Ezekwesili stated those suffering the effects of government corruption were mainly the poor in society.
She, however, stated the issue of corruption was not peculiar to any political party as all were guilty.
She added, “Young ones who cannot see the connection between their poor condition and the monster of corruption are to be pitied. When it comes to the matter of tackling this cancerous level of corruption in our land, citizens must learn to be only on their own side.
“It is the poor that bear the highest and gravest cost of systematic corruption. It should be their interest to have corruption effectively tackled. Ultimately, the war against systematic corruption will morph into a class war in this land. No other way can this monster be defeated.
“Those wasting their time to view these anomalies from political party lenses do themselves harm. Their acronym does not change their habits. Shameful acts like what our lawmakers did today explain why some ignorant non-Africans conclude that corruption is cultural. It is not.”
In his response, however, Saraki insinuated that his trial was a political one.
He stated his colleagues followed him to the tribunal in order to show that the Senate was an independent institution which could not be influenced by external forces.
The Senate President said, “Due process is key to the sustainability of our democracy. It will be harmful for our nation if institutions are weakened for personal causes."