SGF Babchir Lawal.
The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has asked Senate to withdraw call for the resignation of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Mr. Babachir David Lawal.
The Council also urged the Senate to give fair hearing to Lawal over allegations of corruption.
The SGF was alleged to have been involved in the N1.3 billion contract scam awarded by Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE) under his supervision.
The President of the Council, Mr. Murtala Muhammed, though commended anti-corruption war, but cautioned that there should be fair hearing to avoid maligning people unjustly.
He insisted that the SGF was not given a fair hearing as the Senate was too hasty in presenting its report without inviting the accused to defend himself.
“Though it is disgusting and abominable when people took advantage of the vulnerable condition of people in the North East to enrich themselves, but most times some allegations are merely political vendetta.”
“Therefore, the youth will always stand and advocate for the strict adherence to the right procedures to avoid injustice.”
The ad hoc committee constituted by the Senate which was chaired by Senator Shehu Sani (APC Kaduna) investigated the N1.3 billion allegedly awarded by PINE under the supervision of the SGF.
It submitted an interim report which indicted Babachir David Lawal and the Senate called for his immediate resignation and prosecution.
Murtala insisted that the indictment was without recourse to due process as the Senate did not grant him opportunity to defend himself.
Another group, a coalition of Northern group had described as unrealistic the call by the Senate to resign and face prosecution.
The coalition tagged Northern Emancipation Network in a statement by its Secretary, Mr Abdul-Azeez Suleiman on Saturday in Minna, also stated that the call was “unacceptable” to it.
It stated that it disagreed with the “suspicious motive” of the Sen. Shehu Sani committee which did not “consult or invite” the SGF to give his own side of the story.
As stated by the statement, the NASS has stripped itself of such moral rights by openly shielding its leaders that accused of corrupt practices.
“We challenge the moral authority of the Senate to call for the SGF’s resignation after trooping behind the Senate President, Bukola Saraki to shield him from prosecution for obvious misconduct.
“Likewise, the House of Representatives has no moral justification to seek anybody’s sack over alleged official misdemeanour after collectively protecting its Speaker, Yakubu Dogara from answering the serious integrity questions raised by its own member, Abdulmumin Jibrin,” the groups stated.
It insisted that before the National Assembly can reclaim whatever moral right to sanction any official from the executive, it must first surrender its leadership for proper sanction.
“Specifically, we call on Senate President Bukola Saraki to resign and face his pending trial before the Senate can claim the right to call for the SGF’s resignation and prosecution.
“We also call on the House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other officers accused by Jibrin to vacate their offices to allow unhindered investigations as they have no right – legal or moral – to stand as judges in their own case,” it stated.
“We wish to categorically state that this coalition and many other groups in the North will never cooperate with any planned protest being sponsored by the NASS to press for the SGF’s resignation.”
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