Former Senate President Bukola Saraki on Tuesday said he retired all
funds allocated to his office when he left the National Assembly in
May.
A statement by his Media Office said: “The attention of the Media
Office of the former President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola
Saraki has been drawn to a news report (not The Nation) with the
headline: “ 8th Assembly: Saraki, Ekweremadu, others failed to retire
N73.5bn running cost”.
“We deem it necessary to put the record straight and correct the wrong
impression created by the report, stating that before leaving office
on June 6, 2019, Dr. Saraki duly retired all funds allocated as
running cost to his office as President of the Senate between June
2015 and May 2019.
“We also wish to state categorically and with emphasis that the
National Assembly management equally issued a Certificate of
Retirement in acknowledgement of the fact that Dr. Saraki has fully
complied with relevant laws, rules and regulations in respect of the
use and retirement of such funds.
“We believe that if the reporter had diligently investigated the
issue and raised the right questions in the right quarters, he would
have been availed the facts concerning the former Senate President.
“It is therefore misleading and mischievous to allege that Sen.
Saraki has failed to retire the running cost allocated to his office
as President of the eighth Senate.
“We expect that such news story would have been properly investigated
and full facts obtained before rushing to press.
“We will like to recall that the story under reference merely signify
the negative, misleading, unverified and inaccurate reporting by a
section of the press against Dr. Saraki, with the intention of
portraying him and the 8th Senate in a negative way to the public.
Fortunately the public is now better informed. Thus, we advise that
instead of carrying on along these old lines, the medium should focus
on the issues that affect the lives of the people and how to find
solutions to the multifarious challenges facing the country.”
