By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Senate has denied reports making the rounds on the internet that its President, Mr Bukola Saraki, threatened to shutdown the government of President Muhammadu Buhari in 72 hours due to failure of some of his officials to appear before the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly for questioning.
On Wednesday, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Hameed Ali, failed to appear before the Senate to explain the duty his agency asked old car owners to pay or get their vehicles seized.
On Thursday, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal, also did not appear before the Senate to explain his role in the alleged use of over N200 million to cut grasses at IDPs camp.
Reports emanated yesterday that due to these actions, Mr Saraki allegedly threatened to make things difficult for Mr Buhari.
But in a statement issued on Thursday night, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Sabi Abdullahi, described the online reports as “mischievous, fabricated and outright falsehood.”
He said the Senate President never made such threat.
“My attention has been drawn to a fabricated report on some online media in which I was said to have spoken on behalf of Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and threatened that Senate would go ‘to court and stop the entire government from working.’
“There was no time I made the statement attributed to me by these mischievous element. The story is outright falsehood and should, therefore, be disregarded by all members of the public,” Mr Abdullahi said in the statement.
