The Senate has defended its action of confirming Senator Musiliu
Obanikoro as Minister today despite protest by APC Senators over alleged
election rigging. Speaking with the press after
Obanikoro's confirmation, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and
Publicity, Enyinnaya Abaribe said all the reasons for not wanting to
get him confirmed by APC Senators were still allegations and until it is
proven otherwise by a competent law court, Obanikoro stands
innocent..
"There are allegations against Senator Musiliu
Obanikoro, but in our
law and the constitution of Nigeria, anything that is a mere allegation
that is not a court decision is nothing but a mere allegation. The laws
of Nigeria is very clear; you are innocent until proven guilty, so that
is what played out on the floor of the Senate. The Senators who
addressed the press conference and spoke otherwise of Senator Obanikoro
are enjoying a privilege. This is because some of them have EFCC cases,
and they are still in
the senate because of this privilege of being innocent until proven
guilty. So they cannot go to a press conference, and try to convict
somebody when the person has not been convicted by a court of law. The
Senate is not a court of law and even when the Senate conducts
its own investigation, it passes it to the appropriate body for
prosecution" he said.
