News: NANS Divided Over Saraki!!

News: NANS Divided Over Saraki!!!

The southwest zone (“Zone D”), south south and
southeast zone (“Zone B”), the north (“Zone A”)
and the Office of the Vice President , External
Affairs of the of the National Association of
Nigerian Students have distanced themselves from the
leadership of its national body that recently issued a
statement voicing support for embattled Senate President,
Bukola Saraki, who is facing trial for corruption.
NANS President, Tijani Usman
In a statement released today and signed by Okikiola
Ogunsola, its coordinator, the southwest zone of NANS
declared that, despite its respect for the national leadership,
the zone “would not in any way subject ourselves to any act
by our national body that tends to undermine or coerce [the]
rule of law.”
Mr. Ogunsola, a student at Tai Solarin University of
Education, added that the southwest zone of NANS wished
to state “in strong term that our zone is not in support of
the planned protest by the civil society group under the
aegis of Heritage Center and NANS.”
He recalled that NANS as a collective group recently pledged
its support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s
administration in its fight against crime and corruption.
According to his statement, “our position is that any
individual or group charged or alleged to have participated
directly or indirectly in misappropriation, mismanagement or
[acquisition of] properties in [an] unlawful manner should
submit to rule of law to take effect.
“We believe that [the] rule of law needs to be respected, and
we Nigerian students are watching with clear interest how
the present administration is handling its fight against
corruption.”
Mr. Ogunsola’s statement recalled that the Code of Conduct
Tribunal had tried several people during the administration
of former President Goodluck Jonathan, noting that those
found innocent were discharged.
“The planned protest on the basis that [the] alleged
falsification in the Senate President’s asset declaration was
politically motivated or an act to witch-hunt him is
baseless,” he wrote in a statement.
The statement concluded that members of the southwest
zone of NANS “dissociate ourselves from this act and call
on the Federal Government, agencies concerned and
individuals to allow justice to prevail. And [we] equally urge
the Senate President Bukola Saraki to honor the rule of law
for sustainability of our country’s democracy.”
Apart from the “Zone D”, the vice president of External
Affairs at NANS, Ogunkuade Oluwatosin also rejected the
planned solidarity march for Saraki that had been planned
by the President of NANS, Tijani Usman, in conjunction with
the Director-General of the Heritage Center, Dr. Katch
Ononuju.
Other student groups who renounced the solidarity march
includes the Coordinator of NANS “Zone B”, Comrade
Okorie Ikechukwu,Secretary General of NANS “Zone A”,
Comrade Ibrahim A Ibrahim and Comrade Shettima Umar,
President of the National Union of Borno State Students
( "NUBOSS).
They all condemned the President of NANS for siding with
corruption and vowed to resist any attempt to drag NANS
into Mr. Saraki's desire to subvert the rule of law.

Source: Sahara Reporters 

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