Saraki: Buhari Deliberately Punished Senate For Loan Questioning

Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has accused former President Muhammadu Buhari of deliberately punishing the eighth Senate in response to their scrutiny of his loan requests…..READ ALSO Former Senate President Saraki Condemns Gruesome Killing Of Kwara Monarch

Saraki made this revelation on Thursday in response to Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s assertion that he was not involved in the Senate during Saraki’s tenure.

Akpabio had claimed that only 40 percent of constituency projects were funded by the eighth Senate under Saraki’s leadership.

In a statement released by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki argued that Buhari intentionally withheld approval of funds for constituency projects during the eighth National Assembly as a form of punishment for questioning executive loan requests.

According to the statement, “Then President Muhammadu Buhari deliberately refused to approve funds for the constituency projects of members of the eighth National Assembly, obviously to punish the members for questioning some of the loan requests presented by the executive before the legislature.”

Saraki’s media office emphasized the importance of clarifying the project funding process to prevent misunderstanding of the roles of various institutions and individuals involved.

The statement continued, “The refusal to fund constituency projects of members of the legislature was used as one of the retaliatory instruments. That was the experience of the 8th National Assembly.”

Saraki also pointed out Akpabio’s significant role as Senate minority leader during the eighth Senate, suggesting that he should be aware of the challenges faced by the legislature during that time.

“Mr. Akpabio, as Senate minority leader for over three years in the four-year tenure of the 8th Senate, ought to know better and even his experience as Senate President in the last eight months also ought to have made him more informed,” the statement concluded.