SARAKI'S TRIAL: BETWEEN FACTS AND SENTIMENT. Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh

    One of the reasons the international communities are not taking our anti-graft war serious is because of our one-sided approach. We don't see any leader as being corrupt except when he tries to occupy a position where he might become a threat to us. Whereas a corrupt person shouldn't have even be given chance in the first place. While the law says everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court, I still believe Nigeria can align with global best practices and allow the due process of law to establish an individual's innocence before he or she is given public office.

        It's simply to ensure people with dubious background never hold serious political offices.  For instance, a mere allegation that she hired an illegal immigrant as a nanny was enough to deny Zoe Baird the post of the United States Attorney-General under President Bill Clinton in 1993. Again, the candidacy of George McGovern, the Democratic Party Candidate of the 1972 US Presidential election lost traction because of his past records. In Ghana, the other day, Victoria Hammah was sacked as Deputy Minister for Communication for merely voicing her ambition to make a "million dollars in politics."

         Fact is, every Nigerian knows what corruption is and the damages it has done to our nation since independence, just like Bukola Saraki, the embattled Nigeria Senate President's antecedent is not unknown to us. Nigerians are well aware of what happened to their family businesses and how Kwarans' wealth were managed. The APC people knew Saraki is a criminal yet they allowed him into their camp; offered him ticket and he won the Senate seat under their party. They allowed him to sponsor the party too. Suddenly, they reasoned he can't be in that position because he's corrupt.

    There is no way we can separate the Code of Conduct Bureau's trial from Saraki's Senate Presidency. If he has not emerged the Senate President against the will of top hierachy of APC there wouldn't have been any issue. I strongly believe he is not on trial because he is corrupt, rather, he is on trial because his being at Senate Presidency is against the wishes of a section of the party. Let me assure you that if Saraki resigns today, the probe will stop.

     Yet in all of these, I won't blame Saraki. And you ask me why? The reason is simple. APC created the skewed playing field on which Saraki out played the party. Meanwhile, negotiating your path to the top in a democracy is playing right like someone once said. Saraki therefore cannot be faulted on that.

    Mark my words, the trial and its drama are not in the interest of Nigerians. It's a mere charade and a game of power sharing. And to the youths who are raising their BP trying to follow the whole drama, my advice is simple. Don't waste your time joining old men to battle field, the issue is not always far from disagreement on sharing of "yams". By this age a youth should be interested in planting. Afterall, Fashola might be right with his 'pig' story!