He spoke while addressing Senators in plenary.
He said, “I wish to reiterate my remarks before the tribunal, that I have no iota of doubt that I am on trial today because I am the president of the Nigerian Senate, against the wishes of some powerful individuals outside this chamber.
“But what is clear to me also is that the laws of Nigeria and the rules of the National Assembly give consideration only to the wishes and desires of those of you who are here today as members of the Senate; to elect as you wish, one of your peers as President of the Senate.
“This, in your wisdom, is what you have done by electing me to be the first among all of you who are my equals. The laws of Nigeria do not give any consideration to any other forces outside the Senate in the election of its president.
“To yield the ground, on this note, is to be complicit in the subversion of democracy and its core principles of separation of powers as enshrined in our constitution.”
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for refusing to interfere in the election of the National Assembly leadership even in the face of enormous pressure on him to do so. He said Buhari had “proved quite concretely that he is indeed a born-again democrat.”
“Too many people have fought and died for the democracy that we enjoy today,” he noted.
He said the senators would not be honouring heroes and heroines of democracy and their memories if they should allow the sad chapters of our history to continue to repeat themselves.
He said, “As for me, I am prepared to do my duty in the defence of our democracy and in safeguarding the independence of the National Assembly.
“My duty, as I see it, is to do justice and honour to the memory of those who have paid even higher prices to give us this democracy and this Constitution. Primarily as a senator of the Federal Republic and as the Senate President I owe it to this Senate to stand strong in the face of relentless persecution.’’
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